Virender Sehwag Smashes 219, a New ODI Record
Flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag today created history by becoming the highest scorer ever in a one-day innings and the second cricketer after team-mate Sachin Tendulkar to score a double century in the fourth ODI against the West Indies here.
Sehwag smashed his way into record books with his stupendous 219, surpassing Tendulkar's 200 not out against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24 last year.
This remarkable achievement gives Sehwag the unique distinction of being India's top scorer in both Tests and ODIs. He had scored 319 against South Africa in Chennai Test in 2008.
The dashing opener reached the double century milestone when he square-cut Andre Russell for a boundary in the 44th over of the Indian innings, setting off wild celebrations in the stands and dressing room at the jam-packed Holkar Stadium.
He faced 140 balls and hit 23 fours and six sixes in his marathon innings. Tendulkar had made his 200 not out from 147 balls.
Sehwag punched the air with his right hand after reaching his double century before Rohit Sharma embraced him. He raised both his hands to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd.
The spectators in the stadium stood on their feet to applaud Sehwag's stupendous feat while his colleagues in the dressing also gave him a standing ovation.
Sehwag then hit a few more lusty shots, one four and a six, before finally getting out to a tired-looking shot off Kieron Pollard in the 47th over. He faced 149 balls and hit 25 fours and seven sixes in his 219 at a scoring rate of 146.98.
Just as he walked back to the pavillion, non-striker Rohit Sharma was the first to hug him before all the West Indies players one after another came to congratulate him on his way back.
Sehwag raised his hands towards the spectators and then turned again to acknowledge their cheers as he finally left the ground after a record innings.
Sehwag was dropped when on 170 with West Indies captain Darren Sammy missing out on a sitter.
Except for the 'life' gifted by Sammy in the 38th over, it was a vintage Sehwag who played his shots in his characteristic swashbuckling fashion on a belter of a pitch.
En route to his double ton, Sehwag forged a massive 176-run stand with Gautam Gambhir in 22.5 overs, before stitching 140 runs with Suresh Raina in 105 balls to set India on course for a mammoth total.
Sehwag, who made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 1999 at Mohali, was at his dominating best right from the start of his innings as he cut, drove, pulled with utmost ease and murdered the bowlers at will and in no time brought up his 15th one-day hundred. In Tests, he has scored 22 centuries.
Sehwag's repertoire of strokes was on full display as he went about his business on a placid wicket, using minimal footwork with maximum intent.
His innings helped India make their highest ever one-day score of 418/5 in 50 overs.
Incidentally, it was the same Samundar Singh Chauhan, the curator in Gwalior when Tendulkar scored his 200 not out, who prepared the Holkar Stadium pitch on which Sehwag made the highest score in an ODI innings today.
Ironically also, both the double centuries in ODI history were scored in Madhya Pradesh and on a pitch prepared by the same curator.
During his record breaking innings, Sehwag, who made his ODI debut in 1999 against Pakistan, also went past 8,000 run mark, at an aggregate of 8025 runs from 240 matches. He has scored 14 hundreds and 37 fifties in ODIs before today's match.
He is the sixth Indian to have scored more than 8,000 runs in ODIs after Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Yuvraj Singh. His previous highest score was 175 against Bangladesh in the first match of 2011 World up held at Mirpur in Bangladesh.
Sehwag has an enviable record in Tests with 7,980 runs under his belt in 92 matches at an average 52.15. He also has the distinction of scoring two triple tons since joining the Indian Test cricket team in 2001 against South Africa.
The Nawab of Najafgarh scored 309 against Pakistan in March, 2004 in Multan, before scoring 319 against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai four years later.
In December 2009, Sehwag came tantalisingly close to scoring another triple ton, when he scored 293 against Sri Lanka at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
He has scored centuries against all the Test-cricket playing nations except Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and is sixth on the list of leading Test century makers for India. He also holds the Indian record for highest number of Test double tons which stands at four till date.
Sehwag also has 39 Test wickets and 92 ODI scalps to his name.
'Never Expected to score a double hundred'
"I never expected to score a double hundred. While opening the innings, I told Gautam Gambhir that if we can show some patience on this track, we will be in for a big one as the wicket is a good one. The outfield is fantastic and the distance of the boundary is only 50 yards," Sehwag said after his epic knock.
The dashing opener said that once the batting powerplay started, the thought of reaching the double hundred crossed his mind.
"It was only after the batting powerplay started, I felt that I could reach double hundred. Also when Sammy dropped me (at 170), I knew that God was with me," Sehwag said.
"I was happy when Tendulkar scored 200 not out. I was sitting in the front and clapping and cheering when he did that. I am extremely happy to emulate Tendulkar and to have broken a record held by a great cricketer like him. It won't be easy for people to score double hundreds. Over the last so many years only two have done it. This opportunity will come only once in a lifetime and I am happy I have taken it," he added.
Sehwag, dedicated his epic 219 in the memory of his late father.
"I am very happy and I dedicate this knock to my father who is no longer with us," he said.
The 'Nawab of Najafgarh' as he is fondly called informed that he has received around 800 congratulatory text messages but is yet to go through them.
"I have received 700 to 800 messages and have talked with my mother, who is also very happy. Selection committee chairman Srikkanthji also called and congratulated me," said Sehwag.
"It is one of my very best innings. Unlike in Test cricket when one can bat longer, in One-dayers you have to keep an eye on the run-rate. The wicket was very good for batting but the bowlers are also trying to get you out. It was not easy to score 200," he said.
Sehwag said that he was determined to make amends for the string of poor scores in the first three ODIs.
"I have said this earlier also that the top-order needs to contribute. It was a wicket where one could score big runs if he stayed around for 30 overs."
The historic knock certainly seemed to have taken a toll on Sehwag as he smiled and said: "Obviously, I am very tired. I am an old man now and my back gets stiff. So I need to take an ice bath."
He was handed a cheque of Rs 10 lakh by the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association for his phenomenal feat and he said in a lighter vein that he would not mind coming again and score another double hundred here.
"I won't mind coming back here again, score a double hundred and take another Rs 10 lakh," he joked.
He said the Holkar Stadium was perfectly suited to his batting as he was able to play his shots.
"It's a true batting pitch. It's a kind of pitch on which you can play defensive shots initially and then play your shots later to score," he said.
Asked if he thought when he started his career that he would one day score a double hundred in ODIs, Sehwag said, "it's still sinking in. I have not thought about that when I started."
"But after playing 10 years of international cricket you start thinking that you can do it when experienced. I knew I can score 200 if I can bat 50 overs. When I was there for 47-odd overs last time (against Bangladesh at Mirpur earlier this year) I scored 175 and here I was at crease for some 46 overs," he said.
Cricket Fraternity Hails Viru
Wishes came pouring in as news spread of Virender Sehwag having become the highest scorer in the history of one-day cricket, with commentators describing the feat as an "incredible" achievement and a good omen ahead of the Australian tour later this month.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly led the tributes, saying the feat was expected given his positive attitude.
"The double hundred will be a big morale booster for him with the tough Australian tour lined up. You will find the bowling attack, conditions different Down Under. This double ton will give him a big confidence for sure ahead of the Australia tour.
This is a great achievement and I congratulate Sehwag for the amazing feat. He has captained the Indian side on and off for a short while and I believe he could make up as a good captain. He is a gambler, a player who loves to take risks. If he keeps getting opportunity as a captain, he will come up with many such milestones," said Ganguly.
Chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth described Sehwag as one of the greatest players he has ever seen and termed the feat as 'incredible'.
"I am very happy for Sehwag. He is one of the greatest players I have ever seen. He missed his double century (175) during the World Cup game against Bangladesh at Mirpur. But today he has achieved the feat which I would like to describe as incredible," said Srikkanth.
Srikkanth felt it was important for Sehwag to hit peak form before the Australia series.
"He is an amazing player and it's very important that Sehwag touches the peak form by the time India leave for Australia. The greatest thing about Sehwag is that he is an honest person. He was blaming the openers for not getting enough runs on the board during this ongoing series. The top-order included himself also and he did not mince words before criticising himself. So he is a very straight-forward kind of a person," added the chief selector.
Asked who he thought would have crossed the 200-mark barrier in ODIs, Srikkanth promptly replied, "West Indian great Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag. These are the guys capable of reaching the milestone."
Srikkanth said that Sehwag has matured as a player and his coming back to form is a good sign for Indian cricket.
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir said he always believed in Sehwag's attacking mindset.
"I have always remained a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar and when he scored the double hundred against South Africa, one name that crossed my mind was Sehwag. In my view, another player who could have scored a double ton was Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya because he also plays an attacking brand of cricket. Both Sehwag and Jayasuriya have the talent and the ability to score a double hundred and can touch the mark. I would like to extend my congratulations to all Indians for Sehwag scoring a double hundred," said Qadir.
Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes also said he was not suprised to see India's swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag scoring a record 219 in one-day international.
"I expected him to score a double century in ODIs as he is capable of playing fast and fearless cricket," he said while talking to reporters here in central Maharashtra.
Sehwag smashed his way into record books with his stupendous 219, surpassing Tendulkar's 200 not out against South Africa in Gwalior on February 24 last year.
This remarkable achievement gives Sehwag the unique distinction of being India's top scorer in both Tests and ODIs. He had scored 319 against South Africa in Chennai Test in 2008.
The dashing opener reached the double century milestone when he square-cut Andre Russell for a boundary in the 44th over of the Indian innings, setting off wild celebrations in the stands and dressing room at the jam-packed Holkar Stadium.
He faced 140 balls and hit 23 fours and six sixes in his marathon innings. Tendulkar had made his 200 not out from 147 balls.
Sehwag punched the air with his right hand after reaching his double century before Rohit Sharma embraced him. He raised both his hands to acknowledge the cheers from the crowd.
The spectators in the stadium stood on their feet to applaud Sehwag's stupendous feat while his colleagues in the dressing also gave him a standing ovation.
Sehwag then hit a few more lusty shots, one four and a six, before finally getting out to a tired-looking shot off Kieron Pollard in the 47th over. He faced 149 balls and hit 25 fours and seven sixes in his 219 at a scoring rate of 146.98.
Just as he walked back to the pavillion, non-striker Rohit Sharma was the first to hug him before all the West Indies players one after another came to congratulate him on his way back.
Sehwag raised his hands towards the spectators and then turned again to acknowledge their cheers as he finally left the ground after a record innings.
Sehwag was dropped when on 170 with West Indies captain Darren Sammy missing out on a sitter.
Except for the 'life' gifted by Sammy in the 38th over, it was a vintage Sehwag who played his shots in his characteristic swashbuckling fashion on a belter of a pitch.
En route to his double ton, Sehwag forged a massive 176-run stand with Gautam Gambhir in 22.5 overs, before stitching 140 runs with Suresh Raina in 105 balls to set India on course for a mammoth total.
Sehwag, who made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 1999 at Mohali, was at his dominating best right from the start of his innings as he cut, drove, pulled with utmost ease and murdered the bowlers at will and in no time brought up his 15th one-day hundred. In Tests, he has scored 22 centuries.
Sehwag's repertoire of strokes was on full display as he went about his business on a placid wicket, using minimal footwork with maximum intent.
His innings helped India make their highest ever one-day score of 418/5 in 50 overs.
Incidentally, it was the same Samundar Singh Chauhan, the curator in Gwalior when Tendulkar scored his 200 not out, who prepared the Holkar Stadium pitch on which Sehwag made the highest score in an ODI innings today.
Ironically also, both the double centuries in ODI history were scored in Madhya Pradesh and on a pitch prepared by the same curator.
During his record breaking innings, Sehwag, who made his ODI debut in 1999 against Pakistan, also went past 8,000 run mark, at an aggregate of 8025 runs from 240 matches. He has scored 14 hundreds and 37 fifties in ODIs before today's match.
He is the sixth Indian to have scored more than 8,000 runs in ODIs after Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Yuvraj Singh. His previous highest score was 175 against Bangladesh in the first match of 2011 World up held at Mirpur in Bangladesh.
Sehwag has an enviable record in Tests with 7,980 runs under his belt in 92 matches at an average 52.15. He also has the distinction of scoring two triple tons since joining the Indian Test cricket team in 2001 against South Africa.
The Nawab of Najafgarh scored 309 against Pakistan in March, 2004 in Multan, before scoring 319 against South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai four years later.
In December 2009, Sehwag came tantalisingly close to scoring another triple ton, when he scored 293 against Sri Lanka at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
He has scored centuries against all the Test-cricket playing nations except Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and is sixth on the list of leading Test century makers for India. He also holds the Indian record for highest number of Test double tons which stands at four till date.
Sehwag also has 39 Test wickets and 92 ODI scalps to his name.
'Never Expected to score a double hundred'
"I never expected to score a double hundred. While opening the innings, I told Gautam Gambhir that if we can show some patience on this track, we will be in for a big one as the wicket is a good one. The outfield is fantastic and the distance of the boundary is only 50 yards," Sehwag said after his epic knock.
The dashing opener said that once the batting powerplay started, the thought of reaching the double hundred crossed his mind.
"It was only after the batting powerplay started, I felt that I could reach double hundred. Also when Sammy dropped me (at 170), I knew that God was with me," Sehwag said.
"I was happy when Tendulkar scored 200 not out. I was sitting in the front and clapping and cheering when he did that. I am extremely happy to emulate Tendulkar and to have broken a record held by a great cricketer like him. It won't be easy for people to score double hundreds. Over the last so many years only two have done it. This opportunity will come only once in a lifetime and I am happy I have taken it," he added.
Sehwag, dedicated his epic 219 in the memory of his late father.
"I am very happy and I dedicate this knock to my father who is no longer with us," he said.
The 'Nawab of Najafgarh' as he is fondly called informed that he has received around 800 congratulatory text messages but is yet to go through them.
"I have received 700 to 800 messages and have talked with my mother, who is also very happy. Selection committee chairman Srikkanthji also called and congratulated me," said Sehwag.
"It is one of my very best innings. Unlike in Test cricket when one can bat longer, in One-dayers you have to keep an eye on the run-rate. The wicket was very good for batting but the bowlers are also trying to get you out. It was not easy to score 200," he said.
Sehwag said that he was determined to make amends for the string of poor scores in the first three ODIs.
"I have said this earlier also that the top-order needs to contribute. It was a wicket where one could score big runs if he stayed around for 30 overs."
The historic knock certainly seemed to have taken a toll on Sehwag as he smiled and said: "Obviously, I am very tired. I am an old man now and my back gets stiff. So I need to take an ice bath."
He was handed a cheque of Rs 10 lakh by the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association for his phenomenal feat and he said in a lighter vein that he would not mind coming again and score another double hundred here.
"I won't mind coming back here again, score a double hundred and take another Rs 10 lakh," he joked.
He said the Holkar Stadium was perfectly suited to his batting as he was able to play his shots.
"It's a true batting pitch. It's a kind of pitch on which you can play defensive shots initially and then play your shots later to score," he said.
Asked if he thought when he started his career that he would one day score a double hundred in ODIs, Sehwag said, "it's still sinking in. I have not thought about that when I started."
"But after playing 10 years of international cricket you start thinking that you can do it when experienced. I knew I can score 200 if I can bat 50 overs. When I was there for 47-odd overs last time (against Bangladesh at Mirpur earlier this year) I scored 175 and here I was at crease for some 46 overs," he said.
Cricket Fraternity Hails Viru
Wishes came pouring in as news spread of Virender Sehwag having become the highest scorer in the history of one-day cricket, with commentators describing the feat as an "incredible" achievement and a good omen ahead of the Australian tour later this month.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly led the tributes, saying the feat was expected given his positive attitude.
"The double hundred will be a big morale booster for him with the tough Australian tour lined up. You will find the bowling attack, conditions different Down Under. This double ton will give him a big confidence for sure ahead of the Australia tour.
This is a great achievement and I congratulate Sehwag for the amazing feat. He has captained the Indian side on and off for a short while and I believe he could make up as a good captain. He is a gambler, a player who loves to take risks. If he keeps getting opportunity as a captain, he will come up with many such milestones," said Ganguly.
Chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth described Sehwag as one of the greatest players he has ever seen and termed the feat as 'incredible'.
"I am very happy for Sehwag. He is one of the greatest players I have ever seen. He missed his double century (175) during the World Cup game against Bangladesh at Mirpur. But today he has achieved the feat which I would like to describe as incredible," said Srikkanth.
Srikkanth felt it was important for Sehwag to hit peak form before the Australia series.
"He is an amazing player and it's very important that Sehwag touches the peak form by the time India leave for Australia. The greatest thing about Sehwag is that he is an honest person. He was blaming the openers for not getting enough runs on the board during this ongoing series. The top-order included himself also and he did not mince words before criticising himself. So he is a very straight-forward kind of a person," added the chief selector.
Asked who he thought would have crossed the 200-mark barrier in ODIs, Srikkanth promptly replied, "West Indian great Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag. These are the guys capable of reaching the milestone."
Srikkanth said that Sehwag has matured as a player and his coming back to form is a good sign for Indian cricket.
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir said he always believed in Sehwag's attacking mindset.
"I have always remained a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar and when he scored the double hundred against South Africa, one name that crossed my mind was Sehwag. In my view, another player who could have scored a double ton was Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya because he also plays an attacking brand of cricket. Both Sehwag and Jayasuriya have the talent and the ability to score a double hundred and can touch the mark. I would like to extend my congratulations to all Indians for Sehwag scoring a double hundred," said Qadir.
Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes also said he was not suprised to see India's swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag scoring a record 219 in one-day international.
"I expected him to score a double century in ODIs as he is capable of playing fast and fearless cricket," he said while talking to reporters here in central Maharashtra.
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