I never changed my approach to the game: Sehwag

The cricket might have been competitive, but the Masters Champions League failed to attract audiences. Whether it was the unforeseen chill in Dubai, or the lack of interest in the tournament, it was hard to tell, but the end result was scanty audiences. As the second leg of the tournament kicks off at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday (February 3), not just the franchises, but the players would hope for a turnaround in that aspect.

Gemini Arabians vs Capricorn Commanders

Gemini is the team to beat this season; they've been doing everything right. At first shot, they got their team combination right and haven't tweaked with the winning blend. Capricorn Commanders, on the other hand, pulled off a great win in their last match over the Sagittarius Strikers after Abdul Razzaq defended nine runs in the final over. That would definitely give them momentum going into this game.

With no concerns in the Gemini camp for Virender Sehwag, the captain to address, he made an appeal to the crowds to come out in support of the MCL. "On social media the response was very good, but we need some spectators on the ground," Sehwag told Cricbuzz on Monday (February 1). "Maybe people living in the UAE don't know that these games are happening. Maybe awareness needs to be created as to what dates the games are happening so that people come out in numbers to watch.

"I'm hoping that after the way we've played in our (first) two games, people will come and watch us in Sharjah. Sharjah is a unique ground that has hosted the highest number of one-day matches there. I'm hoping people will come and watch Kumar Sangakkara, Virender Sehwag , (Mutthiah) Muralitharan, Saqlain Mushtaq and I hope we will entertain them there."

Sangakkara and Brad Hodge have led from the front, taking the game away from the opposition. Sehwag, however, is yet to fire. With scores of 21 and 12, he insists that his approach to the game has still remained the same. "I have been playing the way I was playing for India or since when I was a kid. I never changed my approach to the game because the kind of talent that I have, if I keep it simple, just watch the ball and hit the ball, I can score easily, rather than think about bowlers, fielders or changing my game, and that's why I got a lot of success at the international level.

"Captaincy is an added responsibility for you to manage the team. Sometimes it gives you a lot of confidence also that you're the boss and you can do whatever you want, so it's a great opportunity for me to lead Gemini because of the kind of players that I have as they're all great players from their respective countries."

He sure has got the captaincy aspect right for most parts this series. Topping it with a swashbuckling innings would be the icing on the cake.

From Capricorn's perspective, getting Sehwag early is as mandatory right now as getting Sangakkara, Hodge and Richard Levi - all who have scored in the previous matches. Their bowlers will need to be right on the money from the word go.

Jeetan Patel has been effective, but their front-line pacers will need to strike early if Gemini are to be kept to a par score. Much will depend on the start Rikki Clarke, Ben Laughlin and Rory Kleinveldt will get them off to. Andrew Symonds hasn't played to his potential yet either, which makes it all the more imperative for him to perform in the big game. If Capricorn can pip Gemini, they will go forward with much more confidence, given that they have beaten the best team in the competition.

Teams (from):

Capricorn Commanders: Michael Vaughan, Abdul Razzaq, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Symonds, Chamara Silva, Ashwell Prince, Upul Chandana, Gareth Berg, Jeetan Patel, Rikki Clarke, Rory Kleinveldt, Ben Laughlin, Rizwan Cheema, Geraint Jones, Sunil Joshi, Khalil Mohammad, Saleem Elahi

Gemini Arabians: Virender Sehwag, Richard Levi, Kumar Sangakkara(w), Brad Hodge, Jacques Rudolph, Justin Kemp, Kyle Mills, Saqlain Mushtaq, Graham Onions, Muttiah Muralitharan, Naved-ul-Hasan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ashish Bagai, Paul Harris, Saqib Ali.

Libra Legends vs Virgo Super Kings

The first leg saw Libra Legends play just the one game, which was the tournament opener, that they lost to Gemini. Since then, they have had a long break of six days, given a three-day break before the tournament shifts venues. Virgo Super Kings are in the same boat having lost their tournament opener to the Sagittarius Strikers by 26 runs.

"Unfortunately these things happen and we've just got to move on and start again when we get to Sharjah," Jacques Kallis, the Libra captain, said after their 78-run loss to Gemini. "There are still a lot of games to go and we'll bounce back."

Already having been dealt the blow of the loss of Sourav Ganguly, Libra was set a target of 235 in the tournament opener. Libra then lost four wickets in as many overs which didn't help their cause. Sean Ervine and Ryan ten Doeschate stitched a partnership while the latter reached a useful half-century, but it wasn't enough to take them over the line. The top order needs to come good for Libra and they'd be hoping at kicking things off on the right notes at Sharjah.

In their opener, Virgo kicked things off on the right note by getting Adam Gilchrist out early. Mahela Jayawardene, however, anchored the innings with a brilliant half-century to stabilise their ship. They eventually set Virgo a target of 158.

Bond first struck on the fifth ball of the opening over to kick-start proceedings with a maiden wicket. He returned in his third over to deal a double strike accounting for both Neil McKenzie and Owais Shah in the span of two balls reducing them to 24 for 3. They were eventually reduced to 43 for 6, with the only resistance coming from Azhar Mahmood, who scored 51.

Virgo have lots of areas to catch up on just like Libra does, which makes the contest all the more interesting. With the tougher teams left to play, they'd want to secure momentum going forward.

Teams (from):

Virgo Super Kings: Brett Lee, Graeme Smith, Azhar Mahmood, Jonty Rhodes, Neil McKenzie, John Mooney, Dirk Nannes, Owais Shah, James Foster, Mirali Kartik, Malinga Bandara, Gareth Batty, Hasan Raza, Jacob Oram, Humayun Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf

Libra Legends: Michael Lumb, Jacques Kallis, Marcus North, Taufeeq Umar, Sean Ervine, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tim Ambrose(w), Graeme Swann, Brad Hogg, Simon Katich, Andy McKay, Ian Butler, Ryan Sidebottom, Ajay Ratra, Nicky Boje