Sehwag returns in style

Sehwag - severe on anything loose © AFP

Virender Sehwag's ability to punish anything erring in line and length is well known, and his innings at Hyderabad demonstrated that yet again. Whenever New Zealand bowled a bad ball - either too short or too full - Sehwag capitalised. The 39 short-of-a-length deliveries he received were dispatched for 47 runs in all, while the 24 balls too full were put away for as many as 52 runs, most off the booming drives he is famous for.

It was, in fact, just the sort of bowling that Sehwag needed to play himself back into form - one with plenty of bad deliveries that he could routinely free his arm to and get his eye back. He seemed his old self again by the time he was dismissed, and Australia may have to tread carefully at Kolkata.