Bengaluru, Oct 7: He is a man who never thinks beyond 22 yards. With his aggressive style of batsmanship, Virender Sehwag creates an impact on a cricket match like no other batsman today.

The fiery Indian opener was awarded the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year at a glittering ceremony on Wednesday. And one has to believe there is no player better than Sehwag to receive the award. During the voting period, the 'Nawaab of Najafgarh' put in some remarkable performances with the bat, scoring 1,282 runs with an impressive average of 85.46 in 10 Test matches.

In Bengauru to attend the ICC Annual Awards, Sehwag spoke to BCCI.TV about partner Gautam Gambhir, his approach towards Test, ODI and T20s, and his family who stood by him throughout his tough days.

Excerpts

On winning the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award

It's fantastic to win the award and take over the title from Gautam Gambhir. I think I got motivated when Gambhir got this award the last time. We were discussing that [the] next time I should get it. Luckily, I got it. I am very happy and it is a great privilege to win the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award.

On his consistent performances after making comeback to the national side

When I was out of the team in 2007, I promised my family that I would work hard and get back to where I belong. I have kept the promise I made to my wife and mother. I hope that I continue my good form in the coming series and seasons. There are times when you are able to execute what you think and then there are times when you fail to implement your plans. But then that is life. I am looking forward to the South Africa series and also the home series against New Zealand.

On partner Gautam Gambhir who is going through a rough patch

I think he scored six consecutive hundreds before he flopped in the last two or three Test matches. [It is possible that one loses form for] two or three Test matches. Look at his record - he [Gambhir] averages more than 50 in Test cricket. He is one of the best openers after [Sunil] Gavaskar that India has ever had. He is still the best and I am hoping that he will score runs quickly.

On whether injury might have been a factor in Gambhir’s recent dismal performances

Yes, when you get injured or you have a niggle, your concentration collapses. A player keeps on thinking about the injury rather than concentrating on the game. But apart from that he is a very good player, a very talented batsman. He is the one who is most hungry for runs. Maybe his time was not good [in the recent past] and [that prevented him from] scoring. I love to have a player like Gautam Gambhir in the side.

On how he started batting fiercely in all formats of the game

When I was growing up, I used to play a lot of 10-over, 12-over and 16-over games. There were fewer balls - 72 balls or 96 balls, so I used to try and score off every ball. I was playing consistently well in the local clubs of Delhi. I got used to scoring off every ball. And I took the same thinking into Test cricket. People pay a lot of attention to Test cricket as we play for five days and we have a lot of time. So a lot of batsmen try to leave or defend a ball which they would easily have hit in an ODI or a Twenty20 match. But I follow my instincts and try to play Test matches the way I do Twenty20 and ODI games. I think it [takes] great strength to play in the same way [across formats].

On the pleasure of winning a close Test being significantly greater than winning a game in any other format

Absolutely. I am a big fan of Test cricket and I love to play Test matches more than one-dayers and Twenty20s. Nowadays Test matches also get exciting finishes like the one we had in Mohali. [VVS] Laxman and Ishant [Sharma] batted really well and won the game for India.

On the criticism that at times he plays aggressively even in crunch situations

I think the most important thing for me is that my team is happy with me, my captain and my coach are happy with me. If they are willing to give me freedom to play and approach the game as I want to, then I don’t care much about the others. For me, my team is most important. I think the way I bat, I push my team to a position where we can go for victory in Test matches and I think that is my greatest strength.

On the thrilling win at Mohali against Australia

I think the win at Mohali this week was the best win of my career. I have been playing for the last 10 years but have never witnessed a win like that. It was a great honour to be part of this team.

On Team India’s No.1 Test ranking

We are still the No.1 team in Test cricket. We also want to do well in other formats too. I understand the importance of me continuing my form going into the ICC World Cup 2011. It is important my team and me. The ICC World Cup is on our mind.