Himself no dud with the bat as his tons in both the innings will suggest, an awestruck England opener Andrew Strauss on Sunday doffed his hat at Virender Sehwag and said the swashbuckling Indian plays a different game altogether.
Chasing 387 in less than four sessions on a fast-wearing track at the M A Chidambaram Stadium is hardly a cakewalk and India looked clearly on the back foot before Sehwag took the centrestage.
The hard-hitting opener took the England attack by the scruff of the neck and blasted a 68-ball 83 to throw the game wide open and Strauss could not help admiring the right-hander for his fearless batting.
"Scoring was not easy on this track but Sehwag plays a different game to the most people in the world," said the England batsman.
"I would also say that the new ball is the best time to attack because it comes nicely on to the bat. After 1-12 overs, it tends to sit on the wicket. But still, Sehwag was simply exceptional," gushed Strauss.
The Chennai Test turned out to be a memorable outing for the England batsman who became the 10th from his country and 51st overall to hit a century in both innings of a Test.
Sachin Tendulkar was seen shaking hands with the England batsman after he achieved the milestone and Strauss said he felt happy after being congratulated by the Indian master.
"Any time Sachin Tendulkar comes and tells you 'well played', you will be pretty happy yourself," Strauss said.
On the milestone, he said, "I was very satisfied with the second hundred. I have not done that before in first class cricket. Given the circumstances of the game, I'm pretty proud."
Strauss reckons England still had a good chance of wrapping up the match, provided they keep patience and grab the chances that come their way on Monday.
"The way the ball is turning and bouncing, there will be opportunity tomorrow. If we stay patient and don't try to chase the game too much, we would have a great chance of winning the match," he said.
"The pitch is deteriorating a lot but it would be nice if it does a bit quicker and becomes hard to play. But the Indians are used to these conditions and it's not going to be a walk in the park by any means. So if we do the right kind of things and can be patient, we really have a chance," added Strauss.
