India's only World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has urged Virender Sehwag to carry on his good form and crack a double ton in the on-going World Cup
India's only World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has urged Virender Sehwag to carry on his good form and crack a double ton in the on-going World Cup.
Kapil, who called up Sehwag to congratulate him on his record-equalling 175 in the opener against Bangladesh, reminded the Delhi batsman of Sir Donald Bradman's advice to former Australian captain Mark Taylor, who declared after going level with the legend's highest individual score of 334.
"The Don (Bradman) told Taylor, 'you are a cricketer and you've got a bat, keep scoring till you get out'," the 52-year-old legend claimed to have told Sehwag on the phone.
Sehwag, having matched Kapil's historic score against Zimbabwe during the 1983 World Cup, was quick to point out the fundamental error in the analogy. "Viru said, 'Paaji, I was bowled exactly on 175'," a thrilled Kapil told MiD DAY.
Taylor captured his countrymen's hearts when, batting on 334, he called halt to the Australian innings in the second Test at Peshawar against Pakistan in 1998-99.
Recalling his conversation with Sehwag, Kapil said: "I congratulated him for scoring 175 and told him he must go for 200 because he has got the momentum now. He must capitalise on his good form now."
"He was probably fatigued and he was also injured. But he said he was happy that his name now stands alongside mine. I felt honoured after hearing what he said, but I still urged him to go for the double ton," he added.
