Men's ODI WC: Sehwag advises Indian team to play fearless and aggressive cricket against New Zealand in semis

Mumbai, Nov 14:  Former India opener Virender Sehwag advised the Indian cricket team to play fearless cricket against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Wednesday.

"They have to play fearless cricket, not think about the result. They have to do what is their hands, which is to give their best. The result is not in their hands, so no point in thinking about that. If 11 players play aggressive cricket, results will come, no doubt about that," Sehwag told the media on the sidelines of the ICC Hall of Fame induction programme here on Tuesday.

Sehwag was introduced as a new inductee into the ICC Hall of Fame along with former India women's team captain Diana Edulji and Sri Lankan legend Aravinda de Silva, the 1996 World Cup winner.

Sehwag praised India captain Rohit Sharma for the way he is playing in the World Cup and taking care of young opener Shubman Gill.

"As he is the captain this time, he is taking up more responsibility, ensuring that the team gets off to a good start. He is scoring a lot of runs for India. The way he is taking care of and nurturing Shubman Gill, that's awesome," Sehwag said.

The Nawab of Najafgarh said the Indian team has done well in recent past but is not playing aggressive cricket in Test matches. "The Indian team is doing well because of their bowling attack. The batsmen are still grafting their runs which is not very attractive. I think England is playing a different brand of cricket," said Sehwag. He noted that all the England players are playing in the same aggressive style of cricket.