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'Sehwag redefined the way opening batsmen are perceived'

Former India skipper Rahul Dravid may have been the quintessential modern-day batsman of this generation but that doesn't stop him from praising the unorthodox yet effective Virender Sehwag, saying his former mate is still a joy to watch.

"I think the joy... When you think of Viru, you think of just the joy he brought to the players that played with him and millions of fans. He redefined in a lot of ways, for me at least, the way opening batsmen have been perceived," said Dravid.

Solid defence

Indian discard Sehwag, 35, had little success in this IPL season with Kings XI Punjab, but the Delhi dasher showed his firepower with a 58-ball 122 in the second qualifier against Chennai Super Kings to impress his fans.

Himself a perfectionist, Dravid said he likes Sehwag's technique. "The very fact that he has a high backlift, a still head and a beautiful bat flow allows him to get a full face of the bat on each ball," said Dravid.

"And even if you watch in defense, a lot of times he's got a really good defense because he's able to bring the full face of the bat, there's no half measures there. Even if his feet don't get to the pitch of the ball, the bat comes straight down the line of the ball," added the Rajasthan Royals mentor.

Great record

Dravid, 41, though still feels that Sehwag's footwork is a bit of a problem.

"There are conditions in which his lack of feet movement or sometimes his impetuousness gets the better of him, but when you look at it as a whole and as a career over hundred Test matches, I think he's been incredibly successful," Dravid added.