Virender Sehwag brought a lot of joy to teammates and fans: Rahul Dravid

Lavishing praises on his former Indian teammate Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid said that the opening batsman from Delhi redefined the way openers went about their roles. Dravid, who is currently the mentor of the IPL side Rajasthan Royals, also said that Sehwag brought a lot of joy to the players he played with and for the Indian fans, as well.

"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 while speaking on Modern Masters, a new video series on ESPNcricinfo.com.

On Sehwag’s technique, the 41-year-old said: "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.

"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.”

Dravid was quick to point out that there have been situations where his ‘see-ball-hit-ball’ technique hasn’t helped him, referring to his overseas records, but he also added that that doesn’t take away anything from him as a Test player. He said: "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."