Sehwag smashes New Zealand to seal series

India sealed their first ever one-day international series in New Zealand on Wednesday after Virender Sehwag smashed a brutal quick-fire century in the rain-shortened fourth match. India won by 10 wickets to go 3-0 up in the five-match series as openers Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir treated the New Zealand bowling attack with disdain.
New Zealand scored 270 for five in 47 overs in their innings and more rain interruptions saw India declared the winners after reaching 201 for none from 23.3 overs. Sehwag scored 125, reaching three figures off just 60 balls to record the seventh fastest one-day century ever and the fastest by an Indian player, ensuring Indias first one-day series win in New Zealand in six attempts.
Sehwags armoury of pull shots, drives and cuts saw the opener finish with 14 fours and six sixes from his 74 ball innings. The squat 30-year-old now has 11th ODI centuries in a career known more for brute force than deft touches, and he said after his latest hundred he was loving the flat pitches and short boundaries in New Zealand. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni described Sehwags batting as "amazing to see".
"That was the key, we wanted to play our natural cricket and thats what they were doing," he said of the opening pair. New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori described the result as "a good old-fashioned hiding". "We didnt really get ourselves in the game, (were) a little bit short with the runs and then Sehwag and Gambhir played outstandingly to take the game away from us."
Gambhir was the perfect partner for Sehwag, turning over the strike with frequent singles while still finishing with 63 runs off 67 balls. New Zealands bowlers were grim-faced after a nightmare match, with nothing they tried working against the rampant opening pair. They have had a series to forget against the star-laden Indian line-up, who hit 392-4 in the previous one-dayer in Christchurch at the weekend. Debutant Ewen Thompson, Iain OBrien and Jacob Oram were all hit for at least 10 runs an over in Hamilton.
Earlier, New Zealand battled to 270 for five, after openers Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder got the home side off to a flying start, putting on 102 for the first wicket. McCullum anchored the top of the New Zealand innings, top-scoring with 77 from 95 balls in a carefully paced knock, including seven fours and two sixes. Ryder followed his century in the third ODI in Christchurch with 46, and was the first out after skying an attempted sweep off part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh to Suresh Raina at square leg in the 20th over.
Indias spinners put the brakes on the middle stages of New Zealands innings, restricting the scoring as wickets fell at regular intervals. As in Christchurch, where the opening pair put on 166 runs, the innings lost its way after Ryder and McCullum were prised apart, with five wickets falling in the space of 73 runs and 17 overs.
But a late surge by Peter McGlashan - standing in as wicketkeeper while McCullum recovers from a thumb injury - with an undefeated 56, and Grant Elliott (35 not out) added valuable runs in the last 11 overs. McGlashan scored his first ODI half century in just his third one-day international to keep New Zealands hopes alive with six fours and a six off 42 balls. Irfan Pathan was the most economical of the Indian bowlers, finishing with one for 14 off five overs. Ishant Sharma, returning from a shoulder injury, gradually found some rhythm after a wayward start to end with two for 57 from eight overs.

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Scoreboard New Zealand

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J. Ryder c Raina b Yuvraj Singh       46

B. McCullum lbw Khan                  77

R. Taylor c R. Sharma b Pathan         5

M. Guptill c sub. b I. Sharma         25

J. Oram c Dhoni b Ishant Sharma        1

P. McGlashan not out                  56

G. Elliott not out                    35

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Extras: (lb 9, w 13, nb 3)            25

Total: (for five wickets; 47 overs)  270

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Fall of wickets: 1-102, 2-114, 3-155, 4-156, 5-175
Bowling: Khan 10-0-49-1, Kumar 7-0-51-0, Sharma 8-0-57-2, Yuvrag Singh 9-0-40-1, Pathan 5-0-14-1, Harbhajan Singh 8-0-50-0

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India

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G. Gambhir not out                    63

V. Sehwag not out                    125

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Extras: (lb 9, w 4)                   13

Total: (for 0 wickets; 23.3 overs)   201

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