IPL 2018: Virender Sehwag hails Ashwin as one of the smartest cricketers

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag is looking forward to a successful sting with the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL 2018. Sehwag has been appointed as the Director of Cricketing Operations of the franchise. He was a key member of the management at the IPL auctions held earlier this year. Sehwag believes that the current squad of the KXIP is capable of lifting the IPL trophy this year.

Recently, he spoke at length about the various prospects that is in frame for the team. He hailed the newly appointed skipper, Ravichandran Ashwin, as a smart cricketer. He believes that Ashwin has all the good qualities of a leader. Furthermore, Virender Sehwag explained that a bowler can be a smarter leader than a batsman.

“As far as I’ve observed him on field, be it his bowling or field placement, he is one of the smartest cricketers. In T20, you need a captain like him who can read a batsman first and then bowl and place the field accordingly,” Virender Sehwag told India TV during the show ‘Cricket Ki Baat’.

“A batsman, when leads, thinks from a run-scoring perspective, while a bowler can think on the lines that who can bowl at what circumstances and how the team can defend small totals. In my opinion, a bowling captain is more effective than a batting one,” Sehwag added further.

Strongest KXIP side

Commenting further on the same note, Virender Sehwag praised the current group of players as the strongest side of the Kings XI Punjab. He remarked that the management has picked up the players with a vision of three years in mind. He feels that this side is very much capable of winning the IPL title.

“If we compare the current team with the ones we saw in the last decade, I feel this one is the strongest. We worked hard in building the right combination. We spent a lot of money in the auction and kept our focus on the Indian players as it is Indian Premier League and only Indians can make a difference here,” mentioned the former Indian cricketer.

On Chris Gayle

The former Indian cricketer also spoke about Chris Gayle. Gayle went unsold at the auctions in the first round this year. Later, he was bought by KXIP in the second round. However, he might well have to sit outside the playing eleven considering the fact that the squad boasts of openers like KL Rahul, Karun Nair, and Aaron Finch. Speaking on the same, Sehwag remarked that Gayle pretty well understands the dynamics of the team management.

“He’s a superstar but a great human being as well. He knows only four foreigners can play in a match and that too according to the needs of the team. And he understands that an Indian is more valuable than a foreign player in IPL,” Sehwag conceded.

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