June 08, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Sani 03, 1429

BANGALORE, June 7: India’s dashing opener Virender Sehwag talks very much the way he bats. After being reprimanded by the BCCI for his comments that the selectors should consider IPL performance for picking the national team, the dashing batsman stuck to his stand on Friday while pointing out that he is least bothered about “anyone”. Responding to a query whether he was shocked by BCCI’s reaction to his statement on basing selection on IPL performance, the swashbuckling batsman retorted: “I am not worried about anyone.”

A few days ago, reacting to Sehwag’s statement during the IPL, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah had shot off a letter to the Delhi batsman pointing out that there was no need for him to interfere in selection matters.

But a defiant Sehwag once again dwelt on the significance of IPL performance. “It was a great opportunity for young domestic cricketers. If a domestic cricketer wants to play international cricket, he has to perform in the domestic level itself. When I was dropped from the team, I got back into the team by playing in domestic cricket,” said the right-hander.

Sehwag, who is part of the team for the tri-series in Bangladesh, said the IPL had given an incredible platform for young cricketers, particularly under-19 and under-22 players. “They had to play before huge crowds and in front of the cameras. Then, their performance counts and that is how Yusuf Pathan and (Pragyan) Ojha got into the team,” the 30-year-old added.—Agencies