Sehwag excited to be part of Calypso cricket action

India opening batsman Virender Sehwag has played in 14 Twenty20 internationals for India and has amassed a total of 313 runs at an average of 24.07. Here he talks to the ICC World Twenty20 West Indies 2010 newsletter about his hopes for the India side this tournament and what he expects of the Caribbean as a host.

What do you think of your group ahead of this tournament, you'll be facing Afghanistan and South Africa first up?
I'm looking forward to playing in the ICC World Twenty20 and in the Caribbean which is a beautiful place to play cricket and I'm looking forward to playing against Afghanistan because in T20 you don't know who will win on the day, any team can beat anyone. It's difficult to pick anyone in our group, South Africa or Afghanistan as possible winners - I think it just comes down to what happens on the day and one player can beat anyone in this tournament - the format is like that, I think we'll just go into playing Afghanistan like we would any other team that we face.

Have you done any research on Afghanistan,? Are they an unknown side to you?
We've not done any research of Afghanistan as we're all playing in the Indian Premier League at the moment and once that finishes we go straight to the Caribbean. Once we get there I'm sure we'll look at the tapes and talk to people about the Afghan side and we'll take them as they come.

How do you feel about returning to the Caribbean to play cricket?
Whenever I've been to the Caribbean I've done well there - I remember going there and hitting a hundred in a Test match there and also I did well in the World Cup there when I scored a hundred against Bermuda I think and I have always enjoyed touring the Caribbean, it's a great place to tour and the pitches are always good to play on, it's a relaxing place where you can concentrate simply on your game.

This year sees five Asian teams competing in the ICC World Twenty20, previously India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have all made it the finals - why do you think the Asian teams do so well in this format?
I think because the game is shorter and as I've said previously any player can beat any team on any given day. For example, in the Pakistan side they have a couple of players who can beat Australia or the West Indies single-handedly and similarly in the India team there are a lot of guys who have that match-winning or match-changing potential

It's great to see that in the lasttwo ICC World Twenty20s that both finals - the one India won and Pakistan won - have been competed between three Asian sides. Of course India beat Pakistan and in England it was Sri Lanka that made the finals. I very much hope again that this year at least one of the Asian teams qualifies for the finals.

Who are the players to watch in the India side and also in the other teams competing in the tournament?
I think in the India team Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir these are the key players I think and when you look at the other teams I think they all have two or three good players who if they fire on that day then they can win the matches.

Do you think Twenty20 is the responsibility of winning matches falling on the bowlers more and more?

I believe if you're batting well you need bowlers who can deliver well and in Twenty20 it's crucial that you play five good bowlers so that those five bowlers win you games. You need someone who can bowl good Yorker, good bouncer, slower ones giving good variation - they have to adapt to this format otherwise you know it will be difficult for the teams because you lose quickly in this format if you let the momentum shift in the 15-20 overs and to the batsmen's side - it's about having a good bowling line up.

What are your personal hopes for the tournament?
I had a good last season and I'm looking start well in this season and I did well against SA last time we played them and I'm hoping to continue that form with the start of the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies.

Do you think India is at a disadvantage because the side won't have trained all together before the tournament begins on 30 April?
I'm not too worried about us not being all together until just before the tournament starts as we're all practicing together here in India during the IPL and it's good to be playing T20 matches rather than practicing for four hours. It's not just the India players getting practice in there are players from all over the world playing in the IPL and getting the practice in before the tournament starts.

Do you have a message for all the West Indies fans who will be watching in the Caribbean?
The only thing I can say is that the West Indies people have a love and passion for the game and that I am sure they will come and cheer for every team and not just the West Indies. Twenty20 is just three hour game and you can be damn sure the teams will entertain the crowds, especially the India team who have a lot of young talent who will entertain the public.