Give Sehwag some more time: Dravid

MARGAO, Feb 15: Skipper Rahul Dravid defended the under-performing Virender Sehwag and pleaded with the media to give the Delhi batsman some more time to come good. "We would like to see him scoring more runs and I am sure he will make it. Give him some time," Dravid said after India's five-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the third and penultimate One-Day International. Sehwag, back to his familiar role as opener, flopped by making only 12 runs after a promising start when he slammed three fours. Dravid credited his three pace bowlers, especially Zaheer Khan, for playing a crucial role in the win. "Zaheer put up a brilliant effort and was given good support by Munaf Patel and (Ajit) Agarkar. The first three wickets by Zaheer put the pressure on the Sri Lankans," he said. "I would love to win the series before the World Cup and it will be a morale-booster for us," he added. Dravid said having developed into a versatile batsman gave him more satisfaction than reaching the personal landmark of 10,000 runs. "I am glad that I put up a good partnership (133 runs in 139 balls) with (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni that helped us to win the match. I am glad to play in different positions for the Indian team. That has given me good satisfaction, more than the 10,000 runs," he said. Zaheer took a career-best 5-42, his first-ever five-wicket haul in his 116th ODI, and his victims included the visitors' top three - Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga and Kumar Sangakkara - in his first three overs. The left-arm pacer credited his fine comeback from virtual oblivion in the earlier part of the season to his superior physical fitness. "I have played lot of cricket this season in England which has helped me to bowl well. I am now focusing on my physical fitness," he said. Zaheer said missing out on the Caribbean tour last year would not hamper him when goes there for the World Cup next month. "I have played there before and I know the conditions there. It's important to start well there and pick up early wickets. That will help me to put pressure on the other teams," he said. Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene also praised Zaheer's bowling. "Zaheer's three early wickets put the pressure on our team. But we recovered from 93 for four and had a good chance to win. But the partnership between Rahul and Dhoni took the match away," he said. "The wicket kept a bit low and that's why we could not score more runs", he said after opting to bat first. Jayawardene also urged his team-mates to go ahead and win the series, locked 1-1 after today's win by India, at Visakhapatnam. "It will help us to go to the World Cup with our heads high," he said. "Now that both the teams are on level terms it will be a big challenge for us in the next game," he added. courtesy:timesofindia