'Twenty20 opportunity important for comeback' - Sehwag

Virender Sehwag, ignored for India's ongoing tour of England, says the Twenty20 format will suit his aggressive batting style and hopes a good performance in the World Championship will pave his comeback into the Indian team.

"It's a new format and my kind of batsmen, who loath to leave or defend a ball, would definitely love it. I'm waiting for it as it would allow me to just walk in and start playing my shots without bothering much," Sehwag told reporters today after he and ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed unveiled the 12 kg silver-rhodium trophy in New Delhi for the event, to begin from September 11.

The importance of the event is not lost on Sehwag either. "Personally, this is important for me to get back to the Indian side. I've been working hard on my batting skills and I hope to do well in South Africa to get back to the squad."

He also hailed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's appointment as captain for the tournament. "It's wonderful to have Dhoni as the captain. Everyone knows he is a matchwinner and has a great knowledge of the game. He has done a brilliant job behind the stumps too. I hope he does well as captain also and my wishes are with him."

Purists may sneer at the format but Sehwag said the event would be competitive enough and taken seriously by cricketers. "Last time I played it, it was more of a fun thing. Now you have 12 teams vying for top honours and so it would be competitive. Whether it's an ODI or Test or Twenty20, you are always going to be criticised when you don't get the runs. So the players will definitely take it seriously."

And he also had a word of sympathy for the bowlers, who would be in for some harsh treatment. "I know it's a sort of punishment for the bowlers and every team would probably like to go into the tournament with 11 batsmen, who can bowl a bit."

Pondering on strategy, Sehwag said allrounders would play a key role in the tournament. "It depends on how good you are on that particular day, but the key would be to score 200-210 runs and defend it. For that, you need allrounders, who can bowl and then bat down the order."

Sehwag also dismissed the notion that Twenty20 has no place for the ageing players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, who have opted out of the event. "If Tendulkar bats for 20 overs, he would get a century and that would definitely help the side. I don't think Twenty20 is necessarily a youngster's game."