Sehwag's blitzkrieg has singed the Kiwi psyche

Virender Sehwag's blitzkrieg has really singed the Kiwi psyche, so much so, that a vexed Daniel Vettori conceded that if the Blackcaps do not find an answer for the ravishing opener's pyrotechnics soon, India would walk all over in the rest of the series.

He could not find a good enough explanation for Wednesday's 10-wicket defeat.

"I can't explain it better. But we haven't found an answer to Sehwag and that is going to be the difference between the two sides. We are pretty inept with the ball when we come up against him."

"Sehwag creates a momentum at the top of the order and is such an aggressive player that he can take the game away quite quickly. A lot of our emphasis is on him. If we contain him, it would be handy," Vettori had said at the start of the series.

Sehwag did just that at the Seddon Park, leaving the Kiwis to lick their wounds even after they had posted a challenging 270 for five.

The Delhi blaster produced the fastest hundred (60-ball) by an Indian batsman, the seventh fastest in ODI history, as India galloped to 201 for no loss in barely 24.3 overs, before the game was abandoned due to rain.

Vettori had wanted to see his bowlers put the ball in the right areas. And did not mind if they were hit for a six off a good ball, but had fretted the thought of them giving Sehwag width.

As the captain had ordered, they did manage to put the ball in the right areas, but Sehwag converted even good balls into boundaries, hitting through the line or against it.

Anything pitched up, disdainfully driven or lofted over the in-field. The ones that were dropped short, were cut, pulled and hooked. While it rained intermittently, fours and sixes rained unabatedly from Sehwag's willow.

There was little Kyle Mills, Ewen Thompson and Iain O'Brien could do. They were simply blasted out of the attack, reduced to on-field spectators. At one stage, when Vettori was signaling debutant Thompson for a second spell, the left-arm seamer looked yonder, almost with a "do I have to bowl at him" expression.

Not since Sir Viv Richards has any batsman frazzled bowlers with his naked aggression. Yes, Matthew Hayden did create an atmosphere of awe around him. So do Chris Gayle and Andrew Symonds. But certainly not to the extent Sehwag does.

He is brutal at his best, which he has been on this sojourn belting out scores of 77, 54, 3 and 125 not out in the ODI, like AR Rahman producing one fascinating score after another.

The very thought of bowling at Sehwag makes bowlers stutter, rethink their strategy in their run-up. Little wonder they are crestfallen the moment he disdainfully, without moving his feet to the pitch or line of the ball, sends the Kookaburra screaming to the pickets, or heaves it deep into the stands.

Hard and clean. It doesn't bother him if the ball swings or seams, bounces or spits at him. He hits it with all.

He is an epitome of aggression at the crease. But off it, unlike other swashbucklers, he is sedate, with a calm of a sage. While the likes of Yuvraj Singh and S Sreesanth crave for media attention with their off-the-field frolics, Sehwag is an introvert, happy to be by himself.

Perhaps, he conserves himself to explode at the square, which he does consistently to the dismay of the bowlers. He knows the only way to bat and that is to whack the ball hard and clean.

He is just 30, an age when batsmen mature and get better and better. So as Vettori said last night, it would be appropriate that the bowlers find an answer to his plunder. Else, their psyche will be battered.

Sachin in the same league with Bradman: Wright

Sachin Tendulkar is in the same league with Don Bradman and the batting maestro has it in him to become the first cricketer to hit 100 international centuries, former India coach John Wright said on Thursday.

Wright said he expects Tendulkar to continue at least till the 2011 World Cup and retire only when he desires.

"I always felt he is in the same line as Bradman and he has the potential to possibly get a 100 international hundreds combining Tests and One dayers," said Wright, who had a successful five-year stint with the Indian team.

"To do something like that would be truly Bradmanesque," the former New Zealand captain told NDTV.

Incidentally, Bradman himself found some similarity between his own and Tendulkar's batting.

Tendulkar will turn 36 on April 24 but Wright said going by form -- the Mumbaikar hit a sublime 163 off 133 balls before retiring hurt in the third India-New Zealand ODI at Christchurch -- he expects the Indian to continue tormenting the bowlers.

"Judging by the the last game in Christchurch, I think he has lot of cricket left in him and he'll decide (when to go)."

"I was thinking about it, he has got everything. The thing with him is that with a deft touch, or flick or a slight manoeuvre he puts the ball in great speed. I expect him to be part of the Indian team for a little while because obviously there is a World Cup (in 2011) out there," Wright said.

The Kiwi reckoned it's only a matter of staying fit for Tendulkar.

"I think the spirit is fine and obviously he has got great love for the game," he said.

Wright also lavished praise of India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and said, "I'm really impressed by Zaheer Khan.

With me, he was still learning that time. Now he has become one of the top 3-4 pace bowlers of the world and I respect that."