By Andy Jalil at Lord's

With a Test average of 51.50 after six matches at the highest level, Virender Sehwag has been widely compared to India's great batting genius Sachin Tendulkar.

Visually, it can be difficult to tell the two apart. Although the younger player is slightly taller, his bearing his very similar to that of India's best batsman.

But the 23-year-old is already moving out of the shadow of the Little Master to establish a following of his own.

Sehwag burst into the cricketing spotlight with 70-ball, match-winning century against New Zealand in a one-day international in Sri Lanka just a year ago.

Sehwag was embroiled in the Denness controversy

And he made his way into the record books in Bloemfontein three months later, becoming the 73rd batsman, and the 11th Indian, to score a century on Test debut.

Since then the publicity has not always been good: his excessive appealing in the following Test brought a ban from match referee Mike Denness that rocked the cricket world.

And England Test series in India hinged on a game of brinkmanship that saw Sehwag selected for the first Test even though he was under ICC sanction.

But Delhi batsman has made so much of an impression on the pitch that the rest pales into memory.

Making his mark

Since his arrival in England, Sehwag has been keen to play down the resemblance between himself and Tendulkar.

But he admits that his style of play is shaped much on the world's leading batsman.

"I used to imitate Tendulkar, watching television, without a bat and when I batted in the nets I would see if I could play the exact same shots," he said.

"I had the strokes imprinted on my mind."

On his first tour of England, Sehwag has been quick to make an impression and become a favourite with the huge following of Indian supporters.

He has shown great maturity and temperament in both forms of the game and must particularly enjoy batting at Lord's.

In the first one-dayer on the ground he hit 71 from just 65 balls in India's victory over England.

The opener set the one-day series alight

And later, in that memorable high-scoring final, he chipped in with 45 from 49 balls.

His success as an opening batsman in the limited-overs game, prompted India to use him at the top of the order for the first time in Tests.

And he responded with a gem of an innings.

Having faced 96 balls in his score of 84, he proved how right he was when he recently said: "A Test or one-day international, it makes no difference to me.

"I play my natural game: if the ball is there to be hit you can be sure I will go for it."

Sehwag is certainly not perfect: his dismissal to Ashley Giles was arguably because of his eagerness to reach three figures in the session.

But he has set off in pursuit of Tendulkar's mantel with the same eagerness that he led India after England's 487 on Friday.

And, as there is more to come from India's impressive batting line-up so there is more to come from Sehwag.