On this day in 2011: Virender Sehwag becomes the 2nd double centurion in ODIs
It took as many as 2961 One Day International matches and nearly four decades for a batsman to score the first double-century in ODIs but less than two years for the second. When Sachin Tendulkar slammed a double century against South Africa, the other batsman most touted to break his record was no one else but Virender Sehwag.
It was the 4th ODI of the 5-match series between India and West Indies at the Holkar Stadium of Indore – a venue under 500 kilometres away from the Captain Roop Singh Stadium of Gwalior, where the Master Blaster got his double in 2010. Before the fourth game, Sehwag confessed that the top-order failures, which he contributed to, were the reason India had struggled in their chases. He had scored a duck in the previous match in Ahmedabad, which India ended up losing.
🔹 Runs ➜ 219
🔹 Balls ➜ 149
🔹 Fours ➜ 25
🔹 Sixes ➜ 7
🔹 Strike-rate ➜ 146.98#OnThisDay in 2011, Virender Sehwag smashed the second double century in men's ODIs. His 🔥 knock catapulted India to a total of 418/5 against West Indies.🇮🇳 won the game by 153 runs 👏 pic.twitter.com/KXZJmT4umk
— ICC (@ICC) December 8, 2019
But 8th of December 2011 was something else. In India’s regular skipper MS Dhoni’s absence, Sehwag was leading the side. After winning the toss, India chose to bat for the first time in the series at the Holkar Stadium, which is known for its flatness and short boundaries. India also slotted in Gautam Gambhir as the opener alongside Sehwag instead of Parthiv Patel.
Sehwag goes berserk
The flamboyant batsman was in a different mood, and it was rather clear when he raced on to 50 off 41 balls. When Kieron Pollard missed a run-out chance when Sehwag was at 20, he would have known little that it would prove to be one of the costliest misses ever. Though 17 of his first 41 deliveries were dots, he still managed to get to his 50.
Having got himself in the flow, the next 28 balls fetched Viru 50 runs as he completed his 100 in merely 69 deliveries. He slapped 10 fours and 5 sixes in his scintillating knock, and realizing his partner’s mood, Gambhir looked happy playing the second fiddle. The change in the opening combination paid off well for the Indians, as the duo added 176 for the first wicket.
After Gambhir’s fall, Sehwag took stock of the situation and ensured that he rotated the strike well alongside Suresh Raina. Gambhir’s dismissal did slow him down as he took 43 balls to reach from 100 to 150. And once Raina got into the groove, it was time for Sehwag to take on the attack again. And he did. The next 27 deliveries produced 46 for him, and on the 140th delivery of his innings, he went past the 200-run mark with a withering cut that sped to the backward-point boundary. His last 68 runs came off a mere 37 balls, and on the back of his blitzkrieg 219 off 149 – which in all included 25 boundaries and 7 maximum – India finished with their highest ODI total (418/5).
Coming to chase an incredible 419 runs, the Windies let the scoreboard pressure get the better of them as no other batsman apart from Dinesh Ramdin (run-a-ball 96) was able to withstand the pressure. Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul Sharma’s 3 wickets each assisted India to wrap the visitors for 265 runs to register a record win by 153 runs.
