I was expecting a double century from Sehwag: Rhodes

Aurangabad: Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes on Thursday said he was not suprised to see India`s swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag scoring a record 219 in one-day international.

"I expected him to score a double century in ODIs as he is capable of playing fast and fearless cricket," he said while talking to reporters here in central Maharashtra. To a question, Rhodes said with the introduction of T20 cricket, there is no need of having two innings of 25 overs each in ODIs matches as suggested by some people. Rhodes was is in the city for three days to train budding cricketers. He said cricketers today are not much aware about the importance of fielding in winning matches. New cricketers need to be trained for diving safely and using correct techniques. "Fielding is an art. In T20 matches, saving singles would definitely affect the final result," the veteran of 56 Tests and 245 ODIs said. "Runs saved is runs scored." Citing the examples of Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammed Kaif, Rhodes said they were very good fielders. "Team India is a good fielding side," the former South African cricketer said and singled out Tendulkar for his efforts on the field. According to him, some of the best fielders in the current era are Herschelle Gibbs, Paul Collingwood, AB de Villiers, and JP Duminy. PTI