Change and Virender Sehwag do not exactly go well together. This gifted and exciting batsman shot into prominence with a 69-ball century against New Zealand six seasons back. Purists argued that  he would struggle in Tests and bowlers would sort him out quickly, even if he would do well in limited overs cricket.

As it turned out, he was runaway success in Tests and continued to struggle in limited overs. His form deserted him to such an aextent that he was dropped and asked to sort out his batting. If his form is anything to go by Sehwag has changed his approach for the better. His recent batting display in the Asia Cup with scores of 89 and 59 makes interesting reading. The strike rate is around 100, the slashes, upper cut and high-risk shots have been rationed, but the overall result still remains the same - Sehwag is a sizzler. Sehwag is back to his merry ways and he may have finally learnt the art of shot selection. India captain MS Dhoni concur: "A batsman like him can score easily at one run per ball. He just has to pick and choose."

From  the time when he was labelled a Sachin Tendulkar clone, Sehwag has had a roller coaster ride. Often in the past, he would fritter away a good start by his adventurous shot selection - from ineptness against the short ball to the inability to find the right pace of scoring. Though he continues to dominate in the Test arena, Sehwag's one-day form dipped alarmingly - after January 2004, he went 60 matches averaging under 29 and he was dropped from the side for the home series against West Indies in early 2007. He was then a surprise pick for the Test team to tour Australia after not being named in the initial list of probables.

So how has his change in fortune occurred? Work with his long-time coach AN Sharma has definitely reaped rewards. His focus has shifted to play as many balls as he can and stay at the crease. He takes guard on middle stump, rather than leg and as a result he has cut down the tendency to reach for deliveries outside the off stump.The second change was that Sehwag made a slight back-and-across movement in the lead-up to playing a shot, a bit like Ricky Ponting. But the most important adjustment has been to bat for longer periods and pace innings after getting his eye in.

He scored 63 and an imperious 151 to help India draw in Adelaide and in the first Test against South Africa in Chennai, he rattled off the quickest triple-century in Test history. And he has enjoyed a successful IPL campaing.

Sehwag's technique is unique and unorthodox, often backing away with lack of footwork, and reliance on hand-eye coordination. His forte is that he sees an opportunity in every ball, possibilities that don't exist for less talented players. He will not worry that he has been beaten and dispatch the next ball to the boundary.