Captaincy has never affected my game - Sehwag

Virender Sehwag, dropped recently from India's Test side, has said his decision to give up the Delhi Daredevils captaincy will have no effect on his batting in the upcoming IPL season. Mahela Jayawardene was named Daredevils captain after Sehwag told the franchise he wanted to focus on his batting ahead of the Champions League 2012.

"I don't think it matters whether I am captaining the side or not," Sehwag told PTI, when asked if Jayawardene taking over would lessen the burden on him. "Captaincy has never affected my game. I have never ever felt the pressure on my batting while leading the side. I have never felt any pressure as captain. My approach to batting has always remained the same.

"I have always maintained that captaincy and performance are two separate issues altogether. If you talk about pressures of captaincy, then I had scored five consecutive half-centuries [a Twenty20 record] during the last edition of the IPL and the highest number of runs for Delhi Daredevils."

Sehwag admitted that Daredevils would feel the absence of England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who is out of this IPL with a knee injury. "KP is a big occasion player and he will certainly be missed but we have other players who can put their hands up and be counted. We have 10 quality foreign players and whoever replaces him in the XI will get an opportunity to make a name for himself on the big stage. If they can grab their chance and prove their worth, we can win the trophy."

Daredevils meet Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural match of this season in Kolkata on April 3.