Indian batsmen to watch out for

After crushing England by nine wickets in the first Test at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, an upbeat Indian contingent is all set to challenge the Poms in the second Test of the four-match series, starting here in Mumbai from Friday, November 23, 2012.

Whilst the bruised and battered Three Lions are determined to square the series with quality show in Mumbai, India have set their target to keep on the winning momentum and inflict a 4-0 series whitewash on the tourists, a treatment they had received from the Poms when they toured England last summer.

In a bid to take the revenge from Alastair Cook and Men, MS Dhoni will have to bank on his talented arsenal, including swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag, hard-hitting middle-order batsman Virat Kohli and first Test’s double centurions Cheteshwar Pujara.

Virender Sehwag:

Sehwag is a hard-hitting top-order batsman who loves to play aggressive cricket and amass big scores, regardless of which format he is playing in. After enduring an extended lean patch, the Delhi star got the monkey off his back smashing an impressive ton in the first Test against England, at Ahmedabad.

The second Test against England, at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will be Sehwag’s 100^th Test match, the ninth Indian cricketer in the history to reach the landmark. In a career spanning a decade, the swashbuckling Indian top-order batsman has enthralled cricket lovers all over the world with his belligerent batting. His ability to play aggressive cricket at the top, even in the slow-paced Test format, was instrumental in India’s rise to the top of ICC Test rankings in December 2009, a status that the subcontinent cricketing giants enjoyed for almost two years, before relinquishing it to England in August last year.

Sehwag marked his Test debut against South Africa in November 2001 and has since amassed 8448 runs at a marvellous average of 50.89, and an astounding strike rate exceeding 82. The tally also includes 23 centuries, 32 fifties, 1214 fours and 91 sixes.

Holding a solid, decade long career under the Test format, the Delhi dasher surely stands out as a real threat for the Poms, since he will be aiming to deliver a landmark performance on his 100^th Test match.

Cheteshwar Pujara:

Pujara was the key to India’s success at Ahmedabad, scoring an unbeaten double ton. The merging Gujarat batsman struck an unbeaten 206 against the formidable English attack, featuring the likes of Graeme Swann,Stuart Broad and James Anderson, to put the hosts in a commanding position in the series opener.

The 24-year-old emerging Indian star has proven himself in domestic as well as in international cricket. He has scored 150-plus runs in his last ten centuries scored in Test and first class matches. His ability to play a responsible knock under any circumstances has earned him praise from the domestic as well as international cricketing fraternity.

Owing to his calm assurance and flawless technique cricket pundits have started comparing him to India’s former middle order mainstay, Rahul Dravid, who retired from Test cricket earlier this year.

Pujara made his Test debut in October 2010 and has so far played six matches scoring 570 runs at an impressive average of 71.25, including two centuries and a half century. The rookie batsman boosts a startling average of 56.53 from 69 first-class appearances.