India ready to make another mark in NZ

Galle, Perth, Trent Bridge, Johannesburg, Kingston, Rawalpindi, Multan, Adelaide, Headingley, Port-of-Spain, and Kandy. The venues of India's memorable overseas victories in the 21st century include all but one of the major Test nations. New Zealand remains the only country in which India have not won a Test since they became competitive away from the subcontinent. India's solitary Test-series success in New Zealand was four decades ago, their last Test triumph here was in 1976, and their last tour in 2002-03 ended in a disastrous 2-0 rout. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men created history over the last two weeks by winning their first ever one-day series in New Zealand, and another such opportunity lies ahead of them.

A lot will depend on how successfully India ignore history.Sehwag has made a living out of forgetting the previous ball he has faced.Of late, this team has made a mockery of history and reputation. They were supposed to be the worst of the big teams at the World Twenty20, they were supposed to lose easily in the ODIs in Australia, they were not supposed to win a Test there.

"I am not bothered about whether we have won here or not," Dhoni said. "I am just bothered about the things we need to do over here as a team. We are not thinking about what happened in the past. I am not great when it comes to stats, so that really helps."

India have the right mix, the conditions are good. They have players to whom history means nothing, players who have suffered and have lessons to share, and they have players who are very good at putting the past behind them. From tomorrow, they will look to set right what they believe is an aberration.

He whacks them, then feels sorry!

"It must be very challenging for them," he replied after India won the ODI series, when asked if he found the Kiwi bowlers challenging at all.

Did he ever feel during the innings that their bowlers were completely down and out? "Oh yea, at least two-three times. But it's not just them. I have seen the Australian, South African and English bowlers feel that way too," he said nonchalantly.

Do you feel sorry for the captain or bowlers, when you bat like that? "Oh yea," he admitted, without bothering to explain.

So are you the most destructive batsman in world cricket today? "No. I don't think so," he said, trying to project a modest face.

But a much larger pool of facts illustrates why he's the most feared batsman today. Sehwag is the only batsman in current international cricket with two Test triple tons. Both were scored at breathtaking speed against respectable attacks: Pakistan and South Africa.

He is a more prolific "big" innings player than anybody else in world cricket. His last 11 hundreds have been 150-plus: 201 not out, 319, 151, 180, 254, 201, 173, 164, 155, 309, 195. Not one of these was against Bangladesh or Zimbabwe.

Barring one, each had a strike rate of 70-plus, amazing by Test standards. The 319 against South Africa in Chennai last year had come off just 304 balls. In terms of strike rate, not even Sir Donald Bradman compares.

His overall ODI average of 34 may be modest by his own standards, but in the last 20 innings, he has averaged an astounding 60.58. And he has succeeded on every surface - in South Africa, Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka.In bowlers, he induces fear. No other batsman has reduced world-class bowlers to helplessness as consistently in all forms of the game - Tests, ODIs and Twenty20s - as the Delhi opener.

In Sri Lanka last year, when the Fab Four fumbled against mystery slowman Ajantha Mendis, he led the way. Earlier, during the disastrous 2002-03 series against New Zealand, he was the only Indian batsmen to get two match-winning ODI hundreds on violently seaming tracks.

The fact that he has a shot, and enough time for every ball, is the key difference. Short: cut or pull; full: drive, to long-off or long-on; wide: slash; into his body: flick.

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VIRU gone mad rattling the NZ attack,A century with a six

Virender Sehwag blasted India's fastest ODI hundred as the visitors swept to a comprehensive win that secured their maiden one-day series triumph in New Zealand. Sehwag reached three-figures off 60 balls with a signature six and his awe-inspiring hitting overshadowed Gautam Gambhir's near run-a-ball half-century. Daniel Vettori and the rest of the New Zealand bowlers were powerless in the face of the onslaught and what had seemed a challenging target was chased down with ridiculous ease. Even the two stoppages due to rain couldn't stem the run-deluge with Sehwag completing his century as early as the 18th over.

Sehwag's 60-ball hundred, powered by 13 fours and four sixes, bettered Mohammad Azharuddin's 62-ball century against the Kiwis at Baroda (1988-89).

With intermittent showers holding up play at regular intervals, Sehwag decided to make sure there was an early finish - in a five-over period, starting from the 12th over, he moved from 52 to 92. The high backlift showed his intentions as he set about dismantling O'Brien, Ewen Thompson and Jacob Oram. Only Daniel Vettori's intelligent variations of pace managed to draw a measure of respect from Sehwag.

This is a man who missed a Test double-century at the MCG because he tried going for a six. But that dismissal hasn't changed Sehwag's mindset when approaching landmarks. Today he stepped out to Vettori, wasn't close enough to the pitch of the ball, and still managed to hit it for six over long-off.

New Zealand have been adamant about wanting to chase in this series, but who would want to give the Indian batting line-up first use of batting-friendly conditions? So Daniel Vettori chose to bat at a venue where no team has successfully defended a total under lights. In the end, the toss remained the only thing New Zealand have won in this series

Sehwag's batting philosophy comes through from one of his old advertisements, where he professes, "The ball is supposed to live outside the boundary, send it there." It is a simple thought that he goes about implementing in his own inimitable way. Just like he hits what he sees, he tells what he sees.

SACHIN,as good as ever!!!!

India win a boundary-filled match and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. A serene Sachin Tendulkar played a perfectly-paced innings to score his first ODI century in New Zealand while Yuvraj Singh demolished the attack in a violent knock to power India to 392 for 4.

It wasn’t a day of total mayhem, though. As soon as Virender Sehwag fell, the ground suddenly looked bigger and the Kiwi bowlers grew in size too. But none of the pygmies had really noticed the giant among them: Sachin Tendulkar. The little master-blaster (163 retired hurt; 133 balls, 16x4, 5x6) flexed his delicate and powerful muscles and magic flowed out of his bat again.

While Yuvraj dazzled with glamourous shots, Tendulkar inspired awe with his innovations. He played numerous paddle sweeps, scooped Southee over fine leg for a stunning six, lofted drives inside out over cover and opened the bat-face to deftly steer the ball to the boundary. Unlike Sehwag, who was bowled while trying to pull a delivery that was not short enough, Tendulkar did not let the temptation of the short square boundaries influence his batting early in his stay. He remained busy throughout his innings, using his wristy flick to turn short-of-length deliveries cutting into middle and off stump to the leg side for many singles.

Saaed Anwar's record score was under threat but Tendulkar retired hurt in the 45th over after pulling a stomach muscle. He said he was hopeful of getting a double-century towards the end of India's innings, while Brendon McCullum, New Zealand's stand-in captain, said only when Tendulkar walked off did it seem out of reach.

So just how did Tendulkar set himself into a position to aim at the first ODI double-century before he had to retire hurt after 45 overs? Well, he shifted gears seamlessly, not letting the bowlers get an inkling of what was coming next. The innovations met the orthodox in a perfect cocktail. The straight hits, the dabs, the paddle sweeps, all hurt New Zealand. There was nothing, after close to 20 years of batting, that the bowling side wouldn't have been prepared for. But all through the day, New Zealand were one step behind Tendulkar.Tendulkar needed just 32 deliveries to move from 100 to 163.

A last word on the quality of the knock should go the captain who was at the receiving end. "I can hardly remember a shot that didn't come out of the middle," McCullum said. "There were times as well that he played with half a blade and hit in areas that he precisely wanted to. I don't think I have seen too many better innings, in any form of the game."

New Zealand is the place where we first saw Tendulkar open the innings, as a raw, crazy diamond. Today the fans lapped up a calculating genius at play, which was just as satisfying.

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who is India's No. 3 for ODIs?,Will India's No. 3 please stand up?

So who is India's No. 3 for ODIs? Gautam Gambhir? Only when Sachin Tendulkar doesn't play. But wait a minute, didn't Mahendra Singh Dhoni feature at one-down in the Napier ODI with Tendulkar opening with Virender Sehwag? Gambhir didn't even get to bat then.
Suresh Raina would be a close guess, but he has done it only five times out of his past 11 matches, and on 15 occasions during his 61-match career.
How about Yuvraj Singh? Not really, having batted at No. 3 14 times in his 228 games. But he can make a surprise appearance every now and then.

So the better question to ask is, who isn't India's No. 3? Not Sehwag and Tendulkar either. Sehwag though, didn't rule out Gambhir's return to the opening slot. "He could come in my place, or Sachin's place. It depends on how we go ahead," he said.

That leaves only Yusuf Pathan, who hasn't done so in his 18-match career so far, but with this Indian team who can say?

If there is no particular No. 3, how can the batting order be certain? And against a team as methodical as New Zealand, the approach works. New Zealand have a plan for every batsman which seemed to work in the Twenty20s. They also have strategies for different phases of a bowling innings, which are disturbed by a shuffling batting order.

"It's good for the Indian team because if someone can bat at three and five, and can change their batting order, they get more opportunities to score," Sehwag said "They were surprised when MS [Dhoni] came to bat at three [in Napier]. They didn't know what to do. They thought maybe MS had come to hit, but he played sensibly and batted through the overs."

"We have Sachin, Gautam and lower down the order, myself, who can do this job," Dhoni said. "But in between we change that also, so the opposition can't really be sure that the batsmen will play their innings in a certain way. At times he is given the responsibility to play aggressive cricket too, because the opposition keeps thinking he will look to take the innings through."

with the current squad it seems every batsman buys the idea of this adaptability. A big test for this scheme will come when the team hits a bad patch. For Dhoni and Gary Kirsten, it has been so far so good. As of now, they seem to like the idea that New Zealand will be fretting over who will come to bat at No. 3 on Friday at the Westpac Stadium.

Fifty feats of Tendulkar must read for sach fan!

TEST CRICKET:

Appearances:

On his Test debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the third youngest debutant (16y 205d). Mushtaq Mohammad (15y 124d) and Aaqib Javed (16y 189d) debuted in Test matches at a younger age than Tendulkar. Since then, there have been two players who were younger than Sachin on their Test debut: Hasan Raza - Pakistan (14y 227d), the current youngest debutant, and Mohammad Sharif - Bangladesh (15y 128d).

Tendulkar has played the most number of Test Matches (156) for India (Kapil Dev and Anil Kumble are joint second with 131 Test appearances).

Tendulkar is third in the list of players with most Test caps. Only Steve Waugh (168 Tests) and Allan Border (158 Tests) have appeared in more games than Tendulkar.

SACHIN CLIMBS MOUNT LARA:

Leading run-scorer in Test cricket with 12,429 Test runs.

Became the first batsman to surpass the 12,000 Test run-mark.

Became the first Indian and the third batsman after Allan Border and Brian Lara. Lara took 213 innings, Sachin 223 and Border 259.

Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them achieved this in 195 innings.

On 3 January 2007 Sachin Tendulkar (5751) edged past Brian Lara's (5736) world record of runs scored in Tests away from home. Tendulkar achieved this in 75 away Test matches while Lara had scored his runs in 66 away Tests.

Holds the record of aggregating most runs at a particular position in Test cricket. His run-aggregate at number 4 in Test cricket to 10,386 in 208 innings at 56.14 with 36 centuries.

Youngest batsman to reach each progressive milestone of 1,000 runs from 3,000-12,000 runs.

CENTURIES:

Highest number of Test centuries (41), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar's record (34) on 10 December 2005 vs Sri Lanka in Delhi. Ricky Ponting is second with 37 centuries.

When Tendulkar scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century. Only Mushtaq Mohammad had scored a century at a younger age by 1990. Tendulkar's record was bettered by Mohammad Ashraful in 2001-02 season.The record for previous youngest Indian centurion was held by Kapil Dev.

Tendulkar's record of five centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record.

Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in 1999-00) for the highest score in Test cricket by an Indian when captaining the side. Gavaskar held the previous record (205 against West Indies in Bombay in 1978-79).

Tendulkar has scored centuries against all test playing nations. He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten.

PARTNERSHIP RECORDS:

He Has aggregated 5000+ runs in Test cricket with Rahul Dravid and 4,000+ runs with Sourav Ganguly.

He is only the second batsman – after Australia's Matthew Hayden- to feature in two separate partnerships of 4,000.

ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL CRICKET:

Appearances:

Matches played: 423 (second most by any player in Cricket history after Sanath Jayasuriya's 432)

Between April 1990 and April 1998 Tendulkar played 185 consecutive matches – a World record.

He has played on 94 different grounds.

First to appear in 400 innings in ODI matches.

On his debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the second youngest debutant at 16 y 238 d. Only Aaqib Javed made his ODI debut at a younger age (16 y 127 d) than Sachin Tendulkar. Since then, there have been four players who were younger than Sachin on their ODI debut: Pakistan's Hasan Raza (14 y 233 d) - the current youngest debutant,Bangladesh's Mohammad Sharif (15 y 116 d), Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (16 y 215 d) and UAE's Ramveer Rai (16 y 229 d).

RUNS SCORED:

Most Runs: 16,460 Runs at an average of 43.89

He is the leading run scorer in the ODI format of the game and the only player ever to cross the 13,000-14,000-15,000 and 16,000 run marks.

First player to reach 10,000-11,000-12,000-13,000-14,000-15,000 and 16,000 ODI runs.

Highest individual score among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999-00). The score of 186* is the fifth highest score recorded in ODIs.

Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year on most occasions. He has done it seven times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007

Tendulkar has scored over 1,000 ODI runs against all major Cricketing nations.

Tendulkar is the first and only batsman to score over 2,500 runs against any opponent. Tendulkar is also the first and only batsman to achieve the feat runs against 2 opponents –Australia& Sri Lanka.

Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs

CENTURIES & FIFTIES:

Most centuries: 42

His eight centuries against Australia are the most by any player against a particular country.

Most Fifties: 90.

Highest number of 50+ scores in ODI's - 131 (42 Centuries and 89 Fifties).

Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs.

ODI AWARDS:

Most Man of the Match awards: 57

Most Man of the Series awards: 14

CALENDAR YEAR RECORDS:

Most ODI runs in a calendar year: 1,894 ODI runs in 1998.

Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998

Partnership Records:Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly holds the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They have put together 6,610 runs in 136 matches that include 21 century partnerships and 23 fifty run partnerships.The 21 century partnerships for opening pair is also a world record.

Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODIs when they scored 331 runs for the second wicket against New Zealand in 1999-00 at the Hyderabad.

Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches - a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

World CupMost runs (1,796 at an average of 59.87) in World Cup history including 4 centuries & 13 fifties with a best score of 152* against Namibia in 2003 world cup.

673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single World Cup.

Player of The World Cup Tournament in the 2003 World Cup.

523 runs in the 1996 Cricket World Cup at an average of 87.16, making him the highest run scorer in the 1996 World Cup and setting the then record for the highest runs by any player in a single World Cup - subsequently bettered by himself in the 2003 World Cup

Miscellaneous First batsman in history to score over 50 centuries in international cricket. He has now scored 83 centuries (41 in Tests, 42 in ODIs).

Most overall runs in international cricket, (ODIs+Tests+Twenty20s), with 28,899 runs overall (12,429) in Tests, 16,460 in ODIs and 10 in T20Is).

Holds the record of getting out the maximum number of times on 90s in international matches. He has been dismissed 24 times (17 in ODIs and 7 in Tests) on scores of 90-99.The 17 nineties in ODIs are a ODI record too.

Sachin has aggregated 5,478 runs against Australia in all international cricket with 17 centuries and 24 fifties at an average of 50.72

India On to the lead again as usual, these days!!

India eased to a comfortable 53-run victory [by Duckworth-Lewis] in a match twice interrupted by rain.

India piled up a mammoth 273 for 4 from their 38 overs and then reduced New Zealand to 111 for 4 before further rain left them the near-impossible task of scoring 105 from 43 balls. Harbhajan Singh then picked up three wickets in four balls as the match fizzled out and apart from Martin Guptill's accomplished 64, there was little for New Zealand to take from McLean Park.

Sehwag had started the day with a clutch off fours off the wayward Mills, but the players were back inside the dressing rooms within 20 minutes as the rain came down. By the time the game resumed, 24 overs in total had been lost, and India's sense of urgency was apparent. Sachin Tendulkar pulled Iain O'Brien for four, and then guided Mills through the vacant slip position, while Sehwag cut a six over point.

After a small mid-innings wobble, Raina and Dhoni added 110 from just 12.2 overs to wrest the initiative. Daniel Vettori had brought about a lull in the proceedings after Ross Taylor's stunning catch to send back Sehwag, but once 40 came from the three overs of the batting Powerplay, there was no holding the Indians back.

New Zealand never got the stroke-filled start that they needed. Zaheer Khan commenced with a maiden over, but it was Praveen Kumar who struck the crucial blow early on, having McCullum caught off the top edge at deep fine-leg. Jesse Ryder thumped him down to long-off for a four, but another attempted heave only found Sehwag inside the circle.
Only 23 runs came from the first eight overs of the Powerplay, but Taylor and Guptill then broke free with some attractive strokes. Taylor cut Munaf Patel for four, while Guptill lofted the ball sweetly down to the long-on boundary. With singles and twos being taken cleverly, the Indians were briefly rattled.

Taylor greeted Yusuf with a cut for four behind point, but a miscued slog-sweep only found Sachin Tendulkar at short fine-leg. Guptill continued to work the ball around cleverly, but with the fours drying up, the game began to drift away. And the pressure eventually told when sehwag's throw from the deep found Elliott just short of his ground while going for a second run.
The rain then returned, and with 10 overs lopped off the innings, there was only time for New Zealand to go down swinging. Jacob Oram was caught behind off Yuvraj and Neil Broom stumped off Harbhajan. Guptill's resistance then ended with a fine catch by Gautam Gambhir at deep midwicket. Vettori ensured that his team wouldn't be bowled out, but that was little consolation on a day when New Zealand were second-best by a distance.

Tendulkar has 16,440 ODI runs, 6765 more than New Zealand's 12 players together!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was in New Zealand that Tendulkar opened for the first time in one-day internationals, scoring 82 off 49 balls at Eden Park in 1994. He's since changed as a batsman and his ODI appearances are less frequent but his presence still gives the batting line-up considerable muscle. Tendulkar's three innings in Sri Lanka were cut short by poor lbw decisions and he has had no match practice to adjust to the seam and bounce of New Zealand's pitches going into tomorrow's game
India's opening combination of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag has played a pivotal role in their one-day success in 2008 but Gambhir has struggled in New Zealand. He was over-aggressive in the first Twenty20 international and failed to find his rhythm despite spending time at the crease in the second. The openers' failure to provide substantial starts has deprived the middle-order of the momentum they have become accustomed to. However, that partnership will be split in Napier when Sachin Tendulkar returns to open with Sehwag, Gambir dropping down the order. Tendulkar's return, though, means India will have one opener who is playing his first game of the tour, and a No. 3 yet to find form.

New Zealand are quietly confident after their upset win in the Twenty20s. Their fast bowlers provided early breakthroughs and the pressure was increased by Daniel Vettori, who was able to restrict a strong middle-order. They have also been bolstered by the recovery of the injured Kyle Mills, who will take the new ball and also provide depth to the batting line-up. However, their coach Andy Moles still called India the favourites whom New Zealand would "respect but not be scared" of. They have no reason to be scared, after running Australia extremely close in the drawn Chappell-Hadlee Series earlier in the month.