Virender Sehwag may be down but is keen to ensure he’s not out. The destructive opener has been out of the Indian team for more than four months now but with a busy season on the horizon, he landed in the city on Tuesday for a stint at the MRF Pace foundation.

With an eye on India’s tour to pace-friendly South Africa at the end of this year, Sehwag will be looking to sharpen up against some of the country’s most promising quicks. He will also be looking to make the most of Australian legend Glenn McGrath’s presence.

McGrath, who took over at the foundation fromDennis Lillee, is in town on one of his regular coaching visits.

Sehwag and McGrath have been part of some intriguing duels between bat and ball in the past so the Australian may be just the man to show him where he is going wrong.

Sehwag’s last act for India was in the second Test of Australia’s tour at Hyderabad in March. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay and Rohit Sharma have since kept him out of the side in all three formats.

The third opener’s slot in the Test side is still up for grabs though, and Sehwag is taking a different approach to that of Delhi teammateGautam Gambhir.

Fellow discard Gambhir, another contender for the third opener’s slot, has joined English county side Essex in a bid to resurrect his India career. He is yet to make a mark after three innings of 31, 21 and 2 respectively.

Sehwag reportedly rejected the chance to go play abroad and has instead chosen to get back on track under the eyes of McGrath.