After ending a two-year century drought with his 23rd hundred on Thursday, a blunt Virender Sehwag said neither he nor his team had any doubts about his ability, just because he could not score a ton in his previous 30 innings.

“I’m very happy to score a hundred after one-and-a-half or two years. I am very pleased that it came at the right time, the first innings of the first Test,” Sehwag told reporters.

“My team or I did not have any doubt. It’s you people who run whatever stories you like.” Sehwag gave credit to the Indian team’s video analyst, CKM Dhananjay, for reminding him of the virtue of staying at the wicket.

“I have to thank DJ. We were watching videos last night till about 10 or 11 in the evening,” he disclosed. “ I realised that if I played the new ball cautiously, it’s good for me and good for the team.” Sehwag said India can now build a big total on Friday to put England under pressure.

“Right we are now in a good position. Hopefully, we will build on this tomorrow, and bowl well. We know we’ve to bowl well because the wicket is on the slower side,” he said.

When someone asked if the game was as good as over, Sehwag said: “I don’t think so, because we have to work hard to take England’s 20 wickets. They are not Bangladesh or somebody else.” Off- spinner Graeme Swann, who captured all four wickets to fall, conceded that England would need quick wickets from here on to get back into the game. “ We will need quick wickets in the morning,” he said.

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“We will be batting last; that’s what happens when you lose the toss. They have two very good spinners.” Swann credited Sehwag for taking the game away from England.

“You have to hand it to Viru, the way he played at the start. The way Viru batted, he really took the game away from us in the first couple of hours, so it was very important to pull it back. We know he can be destructive, he’s done it against us before,” Swann said.