Blazing Sehwag sets up series win

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.
Astonishingly, only five runs came behind square on the off side, generally Sehwag's favourite hitting area. But the batsman still displayed his range of strokes in one Iain O'Brien over, hitting four fours off five balls: a powerful pull to midwicket, a drive that nearly took the bowler's head off, a whip off his pads and a pull-drive over mid-on to a short delivery.
In an innings filled with scintillating strokeplay, Sehwag was at his most murderous when play resumed following a rain break at the 10-over mark. 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.
Spare a thought for the debutant Thompson, who sends down gentle medium-pacers of the sort New Zealand so favoured in the 90s. After more than eight years of toil on the domestic scene, he was rewarded with a place on the national team, only to come up against a rampaging Sehwag on a small ground and a benign track with field restrictions in place. His four overs were taken for 42 runs, Sehwag's mighty hit into the scoreboard behind midwicket being the pick of the strokes against him.
Smart Stats
Virender Sehwag's unbeaten 125 is his third ODI hundred in New Zealand, where he averages more than in any country in which he has played more than one match. In 11 games there he has hit three hundreds, for an average of 55.80 and a strike rate of 100.90. He is the only Indian to score more than one ODI century in New Zealand.
In his last 21 ODIs, Sehwag has scored 1240 runs at an average of 62 and a strike rate of 131.49.
In 24 innings, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have added 1380 runs at an average of 60 and run-rate of 6.61 per over. Among Indian opening pairs, who have scored at least 750 runs, this pair has the highest average and strike rate.
Sehwag and Gambhir added 201 at a rate of 8.55 runs per over, which is the second-fastest double-century partnership in ODIs. Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga added 286 against England in 2006 at a rate of 8.98 runs per over.
Ewen Thompson's economy rate of 10.50 is among the most expensive by a debutant. Among those who bowled at least four overs on debut, only four have a worse economy rate.
It's only the third instance of a team scoring 200 or more while batting second in an ODI and winning without losing a wicket.