Sehwag Make History on 08-12-2011

Share your Feeling If  You love Cricket Till about 2 years ago, a double century in the ODI’s was unheard of and deemed impossible, given the number of overs available. But then came along the Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar – some call him the greatest willow yielder to have ever graced the game – and stroked a masterful double hundred against South Africa. After that spectacular display of batsman-ship, everyone thought that it would be pretty difficult to break his record but some 20 months down the line, Tendulkar’s clone, Sehwag, shattered his record with such aplomb that it is hard to imagine why it took him so long. Characteristic of the batting approach that is associated with Sehwag, it was a brutal knock with 25 hits for four and 7 hits over the ropes. The only thing uncharacteristic in the whole knock was the dive he took to avoid being run out, considering that he never dives. Before the match, there were several questions being asked about Sehwag’s form as he hadn’t done anything noteworthy since March of this year. Sehwag however, shrugged those questions off with nonchalance as he raised his hundred off just 69 balls and finished with 219 off 149. It was not a chanceless innings by any stretch of imagination. Sehwag could have gotten out on at least 4 occasions but he survived two run out chances and two dropped catches; one of them was when he was batting on 170 as Darren Sammy put down a sitter. Unlike Tendulkar’s innings, Sehwag was never batting against time. He scored his double ton in the 44th over of the game and got out in the 47th. Had he lasted the full quota of 50 overs, a score of 250 would not have been out of sight for him. Sehwag has never batted out 50 overs in his ODI career. The last time he batted till the 47th over, he had scored 175. This time it was 219. One can just imagine what his score would be the time he ends up unbeaten. I still remember Saeed Anwer’s 194 against India back in 1997. That was a graceful innings as he managed to take apart the Indian bowling attack. But, his performance pales when compared to the brutal knock that Sehwag played yesterday. Another opener who likes to hit the leather hard - Chris Gayle - tweeted this about Sehwag: "Well I did watch some of that innings by Viru... Brilliant striking!! Congrats on your 219... That's child abuse! The Mask would say, Smoking!" For now the only man who can challenge the 219 in ODI's is Sehwag himself, and it may only be a matter of time before he goes about wreaking havoc again!