Pakistan have gone back to the drawing board to find a solution to curb Virender Sehwag's run-making ability against them after he battered their attack for 254 runs in the drawn first Test that ended on Tuesday.
Home captain Inzamam-ul-Haq admitted that a strategy needed to be devised to control Sehwag's ability to take runs off the Pakistan attack seemingly at will.
The Indian opener made his fourth hundred in seven matches against Pakistan in the first of a three-match series and has scored 1,236 runs at an average of 112.36 against the hosts.
"True, the pitch was flat but the way he batted was worrying for the remainder of the series," Inzamam told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We had discussed him before and we are focusing again on ways to control him."
On a flat, lifeless pitch, Pakistan amassed 679-7 but India responded with 410-1 as Sehwag and his captain Rahul Dravid (128 not out) fell three runs short of the world record 413-run opening partnership in Tests.
Nicknamed "Veeru" by his teammates after a famous Bollywood movie (Sholay) character who is free-willed and unorthodox in his approach to life, the right-hander from Delhi showed these attributes in savaging the Pakistan attack despite regular weather delays.
The 27-year-old belted 47 fours and a six as India scored at a run-rate of over 5.5 per over, unusually high for Test cricket.
EARLY DISMISSAL
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said he had always rated Sehwag very highly and the Pakistan team was exploring ways to dismiss him before he causes too much damage.
"It can be done because (South Africa's) Makhaya Ntini is one of those bowlers who appears to get him out regularly." Woolmer said.
| |||||||||||
However, Woolmer cautioned that certain players tend to flourish against some teams and Sehwag seemed to enjoy playing against Pakistan.
Sehwag showed his penchant for the Pakistani bowlers in his debut against them at Multan in 2004 when he became the first Indian to score a triple century.
Regarded by some observers as a similar batsman to his idol and mentor Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag's second successive double hundred against Pakistan now appears to have helped him establish a separate identity for himself.
Before the Test, he had struggled with his form and joked with reporters that a series against Pakistan was what he needed.
The light-hearted prophecy proved correct although Sehwag indicated after the first Test that he was not bothered by pressure and liked to play his natural game all the time.
"If a ball is there to be hit I like to go for it. Batting is all about dominating the bowlers," he said.
More from rediff