October 06, 2008	Monday	Shawwal 06, 1429

NEW DELHI, Oct 5: There will be no dearth of excitement in the upcoming Test series as Australian opener Matthew Hayden and his Indian counterpart Virender Sehwag gear up for an explosive start.

Sparks will fly when the hard-hitting duo cross swords in the four-match series starting in Bangalore on Thursday because both like to dominate bowling with a wide range of attacking strokes.

Pace or spin, slow or fast wicket, Hayden and Sehwag have always been quick to adjust to the conditions to play major roles in laying a strong foundation for big totals for their sides.

Hayden, 36, relishes Indian conditions, having aggregated 793 runs in seven Tests with an average of 61.00. Similarly, Sehwag likes to thrive on the Australian attack, averaging 53.90 in 11 matches.

Hayden was virtually a non-entity when he toured India in 2001 with Steve Waugh’s side, but returned as a superstar after scoring 549 runs in three Tests at an average of 109.80.

Australia lost the series 2-1, but Hayden added a cubit and more to his stature with his ability to play long innings under pressure.

“The Indian series is one of the great challenges in cricket and I feel up to it mentally,” Hayden said. “I am feeling very comfortable and confident with my game at the moment.”

Like Hayden, Sehwag also began his Test career in a team containing stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly. But he took just a couple of series to carve a niche for himself.

He may not have the consistency of Tendulkar, but is the only Indian to have smashed a Test triple-century. In fact, he has two to his credit – 309 against Pakistan in 2004 and 319 against South Africa in 2007.—AFP