Hamilton, March 12
Virender Sehwag (125 not out) smashed the fastest ODI century by an Indian to fashion the team's commanding 10-wicket win in the fourth match, also giving the visitors their first one day cricket series win in New Zealand here on Wednesday. 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).

India had earlier restricted New Zealand to 270 for five in 47 overs after the match was truncated following a couple of rain interruptions.

For the hosts, Brendon McCullum (77) and Jesse Ryder (46) added 102 runs for the opening stand while Peter McGlashan (56) and Grant Elliot (35) starred in an unbeaten 95-run stand.

Virender Sehwag (R) celebrates scoring his century as New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori looks dejected during the fourth one-day international in Hamilton. — AFP

The Indian innings also encountered a few rain interruptions but neither the rain god nor the Kiwi bowlers could stop Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (63 not out) who guided India to 201 for no loss in 23.3 overs which was enough to seal the match and the series.

Sehwag was ballistic and he virtually butchered the hapless Kiwi attack with a flurry of electrifying strokes, which warmed the cockles of the hearts of Indian fans on a cold, blustery, rainy night. Holi couldn't have been more riotous than it was tonight, away from home.

Sehwag and Gambhir tore the Kiwis apart. It didn't matter to them that the target was altered with each rain interruption, as India were initially set to make 281 from 47 overs to overhaul New Zealand's 270 for five.

Eventually, they needed to get a target of 220 in 36 overs. They were well on the way with a 201-run opening wicket partnership when the Duckworth-Lewis method declared them winners, handing them a 3-0 sweep in the five-match series.

Gambhir also played an innings of great value but it was overshadowed by Sehwag's sustained belligerence. The Delhi marauder, who notched his 10th ODI hundred, was brutal against debutant left-arm pacer Ewen Thompson and Iain O' Brien, carting the frazzled duo to all parts of the park with casual disdain.

Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori could do precious little, but look towards heaven for relief from Sehwag's onslaught. They had marked him as as their nemesis-to-be and Sehwag lived up to their expectations, gathering 259 runs in four innings, including today's blitzkrieg and two half centuries. — PTI

New Delhi, March 12
Union Home Ministry will take a final call tomorrow on the security issues related to Indian Premier League (IPL) as states have conveyed their willingness to host the Twenty20 cricket tournament with the help of para-military forces.

Barring Tamil Nadu, all other states have agreed to host the matches with a rider that at least five to six companies (500-600 personnel) of para-military forces are kept at the disposal of the state police for security related issues, official sources said.

Tamil Nadu has outrightly rejected the proposal to host the matches in the state.

The states had responded to the Home Ministry's reminder asking for their feedback on the revised IPL schedule.

A senior Home Ministry official said the states had expressed the view that the matches could be held peacefully only with the assistance of central security forces.

The Home Ministry will study the report before taking a decision on the matches with a less than a month left for the tournament to begin on April 10, the official said.

Anybody who knows Virender Sehwag would have known that he would try and get to his century with a six. A player who can hit a six when he is on 295 in a Test match to get to a triple ton will not think twice about going for the big one to get to a century in limited overs cricket.

It is this unique fearless temperament that makes Sehwag so special. The best part is that he wouldn’t even lose sleep if he got out going for the big hit but because he is so supremely confident he gets there rather than missing out.

I have to admit that when he hit Vettori with the spin the first impression was that he had sliced it and so wouldn’t get the distance and so there was a groan that escaped the lips but when it went way past the long-off fielder, the joy was not limited only to the batsman himself but to all those watching for here is an entertainer par excellence. 

That made him the fastest Indian to get to a one day hundred and make no mistake he himself will try and break that record and is perfectly capable of doing so.

Yes he can be frustrating when he gets out because he gives the impression of being a tad careless but nobody absolutely nobody that I know of, ever gets angry with Viru when he gets out. If anything there is huge disappointment that he has deprived us of entertainment that we feel is due to us every-time he comes in to bat.

There will always be those who will point to his footwork but let’s get real, at the highest level it is temperament that is supreme not technique and its temperament that separates the men from the boys, and pray tell how many so called technically correct batsmen, have two triple hundreds in Test cricket to their credit.

Even in Tests, have a look at his scores and you will find that once he gets past three figures it is invariably a big 150 plus score and that’s what makes him the most prized wicket in the world in all forms of the game.

Get Viru and you have got his team in trouble is the mantra of the opposition skippers. He certainly is making up for missing out on a season under Greg Chappell. He now wants to make every innings count and that is real bad news for the opposition.

Don’t forget Gautam Gambhir’s contribution; he also has the explosiveness of Sehwag but his growth as an international cricketer can be seen by the way he runs the singles and ensures that his partner is not deprived of the strike for too long. He doesn’t miss out on the bad ball either.

Batting partners have to encourage each other inspire each other and also occasionally caution each other against complacency. These two do that perfectly. Truly it can be said of them that ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’. — PMG

These three players will need at least two months training before starting light training, Dr. Mendis said. Sri Lanka has no international fixtures until the World T20 tournament which is scheduled to begin on June 5. 

Johor Bahru, March 12
Riding on Mandip Antil's five goals blitzkrieg, India thrashed lowly Singapore 12-0 to record their second successive win in the four-nation Genting U-21 hockey tournament at the Taman Daya Stadium here today.

India, who led 4-0 at half time, sounded the board with Antil scoring a hat-trick in his five-goal spree, while Danish Mujtaba and Lalit Upadhaya, both of whom found the net thrice each, and Mohd Amir Khan extended the lead to pile the miseries on Singaporean colts. India, who recorded a 3-1 win over hosts Malaysia in their opening encounter yesterday, are now at the top of the table with six points.

The Indians were on the offensive from the outset and with just seven minutes into the match, a Pramod Kumar set up was well executed Mujtaba who went past two Singapore defenders to draw first blood for his team.

The Singaporeans looked in all sorts of trouble with the Indian strikers making full use of their weak defence, piercing it time and again. Antil then struck his first goal of the match in the 13th minute which was followed with another, making no mistake in converting a penalty corner in the 24th minute.

Substitute striker Upadhaya then extended the lead, deflecting a fiery down the middle shot by skipper Diwakar Ram shortly before the lemon break.

The script followed the same course in the second half with India spanking four goals in the space of seven minutes which included Antils' hat-trick as well.

Just into the second half, Amir Khan made a successful attempt to strike another goal his team.

Antil then found the net in the 38th, 40th and 43rd minutes to take the lead to 8-0. — UNI 

Johor Bahru (Malaysia), March 12
India defeated hosts Malaysia 3-1 in their opening encounter of the Genting four-nation u-21 hockey tournament at Taman Daya Stadium here today.

The Indian colts, who led 1-0 at the half time, found the goals through debutant Victo Singh (35th min), skipper Diwakar Ram (47th min) and Jay Karan (50th min), while Ahmad Tajuddin (44th min) was the lone scorer for Malaysia.

India began their proceedings on a fast pace but under constant drizzle and forced a penalty corner in the opening minute after striker Pramod Kumar was obstructed in the striking circle, only to see Diwakar flick the ball straight to the Malaysian custodian Adnan Abdul Hakim.

The Indians were the better side on display and dominated the entire match but Diwakar was not at his usual best and could score only only once from as many as eleven penalty corners.

The hosts committed numerous defensive lapses and paid the price just before half time when Victo, donning the national colours for the first time, finished off from a Belsajar Horo pass.

But Malaysia came back strongly after the break and found the equaliser from a penalty corner set piece deflection by Tajuddin.

India, however, tightened their belts scoring two goals in a span of three minutes. First, Diwakar sank one low to Hakim's left and then Jay Karan completed the tally after moving in tandem with Pramod Kumar.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan thrashed Singapore 8-0 in a one-sided encounter. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Thank God, I've quit cricket!: Akram
New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has become another ardent admirer of Virender Sehwag and said he was relieved to have quit the game as he doesn't have to be a victim of the Indian opener's merciless hitting. ''Sehwag is one batsman that I would go to any lengths to watch. Thank God, I've quit cricket! With Sehwag in this kind of mood, I really don't know what my fate would have been,'' Akram told ESPN mobile. Sehwag, who is known for his attacking game, tormented the New Zealand bowling at Hamilton as he raced to a 60-ball century. He said Sehwag has a wide range of shots which makes him a potentially dangerous proposition to bowl at and that was what separates the Indian opener from the other most destructive batsmen of the world. ''But truth be told, he's not all slap-bang like, say, a Shahid Afridi. He handles every bowling line-up by attacking them, and even that attack is not all about slogs. — UNI

Sachin in same league as Bradman: Wright
Hamilton: 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. — PTI

Kirsten better coach than me: Wright
Hamilton: John Wright's role in India's overseas victories is always considered to be an important one but the former Kiwi opener believes that the current coach Gary Kirsten is even better than him at the job. Wright, who was the coach of the Indian team for five years between 2000-05, said the current Indian team under Mahendra Singh Dhoni has in them to become the number one team in both Tests and ODIs. The former Kiwi opener noted that Kirsten understands the importance of his job and always keeps the confidence of the players high, which makes him an even better coach that Wright himself. ''He's (Kirsten) probably better, well I know he did score more runs than me. He is very thoughtful and very passionate and I think he understands the importance and the privilege of coaching India,'' Wright told mediapersons today. Wright, who is currently working as a New Zealand selector, said the team has moved a lot further with the support staff that workd with Kirsten has given it the team a far more professional look. — UNI

Fisichella 8th fastest, completes 97 laps
Barcelona: Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella posted the eighth fastest time while completing 97 laps as the VJM02 car displayed immaculate reliability for the third day on the trot at the Circuit de Catalunya here. Fisichella's best lap of 1min 21.545 was better than Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi (1:21.569) and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton (1:21.657) whose first experience with the new aero package of the MP4-24 concluded with a crash after 86 laps. Replacing teammate Adrian Sutil behind the VJM02, Fisichella continued the team's programme of evaluating different set-up options, aerodynamic improvements and tyre testing. Satisfied with the outing, the seasoned driver said he was now looking forward to the race simulation on the fourth and final day. — PTI

World Cup: Mithali leads India to Super Six stage
Sydney: Mithali Raj stood tall amid the ruins as India edged out Sri Lanka by 35 runs to book a place in the Super Six stage of the ICC Women's World Cup cricket tournament here on Thursday. Opting to bat first in the Group B match at the Bankstown Oval, India slumped to 78 for seven before an unbeaten 59-run stand for the seventh wicket between former captain Mithali (75) and incumbent Jhulan Goswami (24) guided the side to 137 for seven, a total that looked far from imposing. Fortunately for them, Sri Lankan batters did even worse as Amita Sharma (3/19), Rumeli Dhar (2/10) and Gouher Sultana (2/16) shone with the ball to skittle out the islanders for 102 in 44.2 overs. India's second victory did earn them a place in the group stage but their batters looked far from convincing. — PTI

Dhoni's team best ODI side: Chandrasekhar
Mangalore: Former India leg-spinner B S Chandrasekhar today described the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team as the best one-day side in the world. "The present team headed by Dhoni is a balanced one and our team is the best one-day side in the world," Chandrasekhar, a match-winner for India in the 1970s, told reporters on the sidelines of a function at which he was awarded the "Vandana" award in recognition of his contribution to cricket. The importance of spinners in Test arena has not dwindled, he said, pointing out that all countries were fielding spinners in Tests and one-day matches. Rotaract Club, Dakshina Kannada Cricket Association and Ramakrishna College jointly honoured Chandrasekhar with the award. — PTI