Sehwag and Dravid keep hopes alive

By John Cheeran
Virender Sehwag and skipper Rahul Dravid deserve all accolades for going about India’s reply in the best possible manner on Sunday.
Sehwag was aggressive while Dravid remained confident and solid.
If not for the repeated interruptions owing to bad light and overcast conditions, India would have made considerable progress in their effort to match Pakistan run for run, ton for ton.
Sehwag could not have asked for a better stage than Lahore to regain his penchant for big knocks.
I’m aware that Sehwag still requires a boundary to complete his Test century; but it is as good as he scored it.
Sehwag stepped into a situation that was made imposing by the sheer volume of Pakistan runs.
Sehwag’s failure here would have been virtually unpardonable.
Sehwag has silenced his critics from the Ganguly camp in the most stunning manner.
Dravid, for his part, will go down in Indian cricket history for his courage as a captain and a batsman. Taking a long, hard look at the Pakistan score of 679 for seven, Dravid did not shirk from his responsibility. He has led from the front.
Dravid decided to take the bull by its horns as he is very much aware that Sourav Ganguly can never tackle the fury of Pakistani fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar, Naved-ul Hassan and Mohammad Sami while opening in a critical situation that India has found itself.
Dravid has kept his anger and angst within himself even when Sharad Pawar foisted Ganguly on Team India. The skipper has scored only 37 and he has to score more if India is to get out of the woods.
The next two days should bring out the finest from this selfless cricketer that India has ever seen.