Sehwag, seamers lead India into final

A combination of belligerent hitting by Virender Sehwag and potent seam bowling helped India storm to the final of the tri-series with a comprehensive thrashing of New Zealand in the last league game. On a day when a majority of specialist batsmen on both sides batted with two left feet in bowler-friendly conditions, Sehwag found a way to carve out an aggressive century, scoring more than what 11 New Zealanders managed. A target of 224 turned out to be way out of New Zealand's reach as their top order crumbled against a four-pronged seam attack, a combination one wouldn't associate with Indian sides, especially in the subcontinent.

By the end of the night, one could imagine batsmen queuing up outside Sehwag's door for the inside story on how he managed to dominate everything thrown at him. It was as though he was batting on another surface. Sehwag was unfazed by the early movement and nip off the wicket, which made the seamers potent. He played in a style known only to him, and with the final in three days' time, his innings today will undoubtedly be analysed in detail.

MS Dhoni took the gamble of batting on a fresh pitch, despite India having collapsed for 103 after batting first in their previous match. New Zealand's seamers nipped out four wickets by the end of 13 overs with a combination of swing, cut and bounce and those strikes took the sheen away from a fluid and entertaining start from Sehwag.

Not known for exaggerated foot movements, Sehwag used the crease to loft the seamers over the off side, through the line of the ball. He barely moved across the stumps but such was his confidence that he managed to stretch to scoop and slash powerfully over backward point. He backed away and slapped the slower bowlers past the infield as well. A more conventional punch through cover brought up his 1000th ODI four and that was part of a sequence of three consecutive fours off Tim Southee.

India were lucky to have MS Dhoni at the other end for he rotated strike and built a solid partnership. Their stand produced a valuable 107, but India needed more from their last capable pair, having only Ravindra Jadeja, who is still trying to find his feet in ODIs, and a long tail to follow. Sehwag didn't drop anchor, though. He continued to charge the spinners, lifting Kane Williamson inside-out over extra cover for boundaries, and also cleverly picked the gaps at fine leg off the seamers. He played the upper cut over the vacant slip cordon shortly after getting to his century, but the fun ended for India when Sehwag found deep midwicket when on 110, his dismissal coming against the run of play.

Dhoni, who had batted carefully with Sehwag, had to try and reclaim the advantage for India but New Zealand took control. Having grafted to 38 off 75 balls, Dhoni edged a Nathan McCullum delivery while trying to drive. The dismissals of Sehwag and Dhoni in quick succession meant a premature end to the innings was inevitable. But when New Zealand picked up the final wicket, their control over the game came to a grinding halt.

They had no-one with Sehwag's calibre and temperament to grab the initiative, irrespective of the damage being done at the other end. They were exposed against the moving ball and even seasoned performers struggled.  Praveen Kumar started the slide in conditions tailored to his variety of bowling, trapping Martin Guptill, who tried to play across the line, leg before in first over.

There was no respite from the other end as Ashish Nehra, with his extra pace, got the ball to nip back in sharply to the right-handers, slicing them in half. A lot depended on the experienced Ross Taylor, but he was just as circumspect as the rest. He expected the ball to bend back in, but it moved the other way and took a thick outside, giving Praveen his second wicket.

New Zealand's chase was irreparably damaged when their senior-most batsman, Scott Styris, chopped one on to his stumps without moving his feet. Grant Elliott knew that the best way to counter the swing was to cover the line and smother the movement. He regularly shuffled across the stumps, committing to the movement even before delivery, but his method didn't yield runs as almost every defensive push found the fielders. Kane Williamson, who finally scored an international run in his third attempt, was dismissed by an Ishant Sharma delivery that cut in and took the inside edge onto the stumps. Munaf, who was miserly to begin with, bagged two lbws with with his probing line. Kyle Mills' blitz only succeeded in saving New Zealand the embarrassment of being bowled out for less than 100.