Opportunity for youngsters to prove their worth: Sehwag

Kolkata: The absence of key players like MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh will give an opportunity to test youngsters ahead of the 2010 World Cup, according to India’s stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag who said it was necessary to work towards improving the bench strength.

India will miss two key players — Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh — in the crucial fourth one-dayer against Sri Lanka, where a win would seal the series for the hosts.

“When the series is going on the team has to play the matches, irrespective of who is in or out. Definitely, we will miss their services but we have to look at our other options.

“The youngsters are getting an opportunity to play for their country and if they do well and make a mark it’s good for the team as well. The bench strength will get stronger and stronger”, Sehwag said.

Flintoff on course for training after latest medical check-up

“With the 2011 World Cup coming up, if players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma get an opportunity to play and get runs, our bench strength improves,” he said.

He picked Kohli for some special praise and said, “He is truly a talented player. He had played very well in the Champions Trophy. Hopefully he will become a star of the future. We are all looking forward to him.”

India are leading the series 2-1 but they have a record of squandering advantageous positions. However, Sehwag said this time they are determined to not let the lead slip out of their hands.

Yes, Australia won the series after we took a 2-1 lead (in our last series). But we are not going to give up our games easily. We will fight till the end,” Sehwag said.

Asked about the experience of leading the team in the absence of Dhoni, Sehwag said, “I am enjoying captaincy very much. It is not putting pressure on me. I am captain or not captain, my role is to get runs and give suggestions. Now when I am captain, I look for inputs from my teammates and implement them.”

Sehwag said they would like to chase a target on the Eden wicket and their team strategy would be similar to that of Cuttack when Ashish Nehra came as a second change and spinners did the damage

“If we win the toss, we will field first. I am not worried about the seaming or swinging conditions here. Nehra bowled well in Cuttack and his experience worked as a second-change bowler.

Flower tells Broad to walk when given out by an umpire

“We will use him in a similar way. And hopefully, our spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh would continue to do well”, he said.

We will try our best. It’s not always easy for bowlers to restrict a side under 240. But we will try to do that again,” Sehwag said, adding that they were yet to finalise the playing XI”, he said.

The destructive form of Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan is still a cause of concern for Sehwag.

“It’s difficult to stop him. If we get him out early, it will be an advantage as their middle order has not fired yet.”

With Eden Gardens being the home ground of Sourav Ganguly, whom Sehwag always pays gratitude for making him an opener the Delhi dasher said, “I would like to win here to give a gift to Ganguly."