Will lighter bat do the trick for Viru?

The explosive opener is counting on a lighter bat, special practice balls and an uncluttered mind to regain his form.

Virender Sehwag has had enough of technical and mental discourses to pull himself out of the current form crunch. A lighter bat, special practice balls and an uncluttered mind is what the explosive opener is counting on this time to regain his devastating touch.

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Sehwag flew in with the Indian team here with a set of bats, each lighter by 90-100 gms and a box of balls of two colours.

All international batsmen visit Australia with knots in stomach, unsure if they are quick enough to move in line or duck against searing pace of demonic home bowlers.

Sehwag, if anything, has worked for simple options now that he does not have a domineering coach or psychologist numbing him with theories which they develop in their mental laboratory and test on unsuspecting wards.

A lighter bat would still allow his punishing strokes to come down from an expansive backlift quickly and meet the ball with an impact which only sends it screaming to the fence.

The two-colour balls in the nets are intended to help him 'sight' the ball quicker and better, for him to gain the necessary confidence for the middle.

Sehwag could sense the hand of destiny which, against all odds, put him on plane to Australia.

His highest score of 284 and 89 runs from his last 10 Tests and one-day innings, and a pathetic 32 from last five domestic matches; Sehwag was mulling on his omission from the list of 24 probables when fellow Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir hurt his shoulder and offered a lifeline to him.