Well, that's all for us. Hundred or no hundred, it was a superb innings from Sehwag. Hope you enjoyed it. Cheers. We will leave you with Nikhil's thoughts: "I remembered this as a contrast. Gooch letting Chetan Sharma score a century with a boundary. Sharma was on 97 and India needed 1 to win."
Anyway time for Presentation
Virender Sehwag, MoM
"It happens in cricket. The other team doesn't want anybody to score a hundred against them. They tried their best. Doesn't matter to me, 99 or 100. Yeah I was also looking for the six, but... four byes and the no-ball. We were thinking of the bonus point. We were discussing between the overs. Luckily we got there." And Tony Greig says, "I don't think it was lucky, it was very well played."
MS Dhoni
"Of course it was a good win. Especially if you are fielding first on this track. Bowlers did a really good job, especially PK and Nehra, the way they started. Spinners did well too, because this was not a spinners' track. Then the opening that Karthik and Sehwag provided. Karthik may not have got a fifty, but he played out a number of overs with the new ball. We had the bonus on the mind, and with Viru there I knew it would be easy. The way he batted reminded me of my second series when I batted with him. Fun-loving person, and enjoys his batting on the pitch."
Kumar Sangakkara
"They played really well, with the ball and the bat. We didn't get any partnership, and Virender Sehwag in the chase batted really well. 230 was a decent score, and then Viru batted all the way through. I am not aware of that [that the no-ball denied him the century], he deserved the century surely. He was the most important factor."
A technical question to MCC, though. The ball is counted as one faced by Sehwag. Why so, when the match was over even before it was played and especially when the runs scored are not granted to Sehwag? Dhruv: "If the game finishes with the no-ball, then the ball should not counts towards Sehwag's balls-played, because the game was won before Sehwag played it.
But, if you count the ball for Sehwag's balls played, then his Six must also be considered." Don't think Sehwag is thinking as much about it as the pouring feedback to Cricinfo is. This game reminds me of the Duleep Trophy final of 2007-08 when Shikhar Dhawan was 94 not out against West Zone. Six runs were required by both North Zone for the win, and by Dhawan for a well-deserved century. What came? Five wides and a no-ball. Khadoos cricket for you. But it's both within the rules, people will tell you
Chris Harris in the studio has no doubt it was a deliberate no-ball. Well it didn't look accidental. That back foot was where his front foot usually is. Kunjan Patel: "Shewag says..."fair enough"..As long as he puts the ball back where it deserves..he's a HAPPY MAN, 100 or not! What a man! ;)"