When viewed in retrospect an aspect of the match that grabs your attention is the number of boundaries he peppered the on-side fence with. The New Zealanders erred on the leg-stump of this unknown Tendulkar-like entity and had already conceded 10 odd fours through lofted flicks and rasping on-drives even before Stephen Fleming could cry ‘Correction’. The first forcing shot on the off-side, a trademark ‘Viru cut’, was so uncharacteristically late in the innings that it brought up his 50, and he was impartial to all hoardings thereon. [By 'late' I only signified its place in the sequence of boundaries.]

This took me back to Newlands 1997 when Azharuddin, coming in at 58/5 to accompany skipper Sachin in response to South Africa’s 500 plus and playing himself in to a sedate 27 at lunch 3rd day, came out like a man asked to personify Fury by Nelson Mandela over their post-lunch handshake and carted the best fast bowling attack of the era for 12 boundaries in no time. The first 2 mind-blowers were towards his favoured on side fence, followed quite uniquely by a sequence of 10 successive off-side scorchers. It remains the most unparalleled hour of Test Match batting retrievable from recent memory.

The Azhar connection of Sehwag’s knock did not end there though. That 2001 innings of Sehwag remains the 2nd fastest one-day ton by an Indian, behind Azharuddin’s 62-ball one-time fastest 100 in ODI’s. The Black Caps were having a day of self-same colour on both these occasions of one-ton destruction.

Passage of a mere four years makes that little beauty of an innings from Sehwag resemble a step-up transformer in the electrifying career chart of "Najafgarh’s own Tendulkar". Wonder what thoughts would take over an unsuspecting cricket-loving mind 30 years hence when some sports channel of the time helps it revisit the New Year test of Sydney, 1992 (and I am not talking about a double centurion or an unimpressive debutante here). Or the year next (now that is a double centurion I’m referring to).

Or for that matter Boxing Day at Melbourne, 1985 (another unimpressive debutante indeed, this time). This is not too bad a time of the year for batting gifts, apparently.

The first time I laid eyes on Sehwag was on his ODI debut in England, it was pay-per-view and I made sure I didn't miss a single delivery. What struck me at first was his build, stocky and solid, not wiry and willowy, then , the expression on his face-there was none-unlike Sachin who seems to be doing facial exercises fit for acting or singing at best or at worst a tomcat ready to jump into the fray; Sehwag scored a 50 and I said to a friend , "Oh no, they've got another **** Tendulkar. When a Batsman never shows anything, never gives you anything, never gets happy( like the Irritating Strauss) never gets angry(Hayden vs England) never gets flustered (Youhana while running with anybody) then you know you're in trouble, as Pakistan found out to their cost. I remember one Test, where I was so happy Sehwag got out after "only" scoring 170 odd, and another Test where he got run out in the 80's I was jumping up and down in thanks and relief, Indeed my mantra soon became, "if Sehwag gets out, we win, if Sehwag stays in, we lose. Appreciate what you have in Sehwag, I certainly do. Happy New Year.