New Delhi: Former Team India batsman Virender Sehwag has asked the Indian team to be on its guard against fierce bowling by Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in its encounter against South Africa on February 22.
In an exclusive interview on India TV show "Phir Bano Champion" after Team India's victory over Pakistan, Sehwag said: "If India has to win the World Cup, batsmen other than Virat Kohli will have to make runs. We should not depend solely on Virat in every match. Rohit, Shikhar, Rahane and Dhoni must play big innings."
On India's match against South Africa, Sehwag said: "I think it won't be easy for Indian batsmen to play against Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. I hope our batsmen are preparing. Our batsmen should play carefully against Steyn and Morkel and make runs."
The former explosive batsman had a word of advice for Virat Kohli who made a ton in Sunday's match: "My advice to Virat is: he should control his aggression and should not be over-confident. The way he is going on, I think he can become the Man of the Series, like Yuvraj in the last edition.
"Virat has improved his batting quite a lot, by 70-80 per cent. He is now rotating his strike quite often, and it seems, he has learnt much from his seniors. He used to come to me and Sachin (Tendulkar) to learn tips on how to improve his batting.
"His (Virat's) controlled aggression is his mainstay", said Sehwag.
On Sunday's India-Pakistan match, Sehwag said: "I had hoped India would win, but never thought it would win so easily. Shikhar Dhawan batted well, he controlled his aggression and made runs at a good strike rate. He was unlucky to be run out.
"We should also appreciated Suresh Raina's contribution. The entire team played well, in all fields of the game - batting, bowling and fielding."
Sehwag said, Indian bowlers performed well against Pakistan. "I was quite impressed with Ashwin's bowling. Umesh Yadav's second spell was brilliant, and Dhoni used him quite well."
Sehwag said, he had sniffed India's win on Sunday when it piled up a target of 300 runs. "We should encourage our bowlers more, because they are the guys who win us matches."
On Team India's WC prospects, Sehwag said: "We started with a resounding win over Pakistan. I think we are just one win away from the quarter-finals, and the way we are progressing, we can easily top our pool."
Sehwag said, Team India should continue to rely on Shikhar Dhawan. "Even if his form is poor, we should give him chance".
