Chennai: Virender Sehwag always says that if the ball is there to be hit, he will hit it. Looks like the South Africans didn’t bowl anything else to him on Friday, as he hammered away to score a superb career-best equalling 309 not out, carrying India to 468 for one at stumps on Day Three of the first Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He was being kept company by Rahul Dravid, unbeaten on an unnoticed 65.
During this display, some remarkable statistics also came out. This is the first time in all the 416 Tests played by India, that two 200-run partnerships were seen.
This was also the fastest 300 since the time the number of balls taken started being recorded. Sehwag's got there off 278 balls to overcome Matthew Hayden’s effort against Zimbabwe at Perth in 2003-04, which came off 362 balls. At the end of the day, Sehwag had been at the crease for 503 minutes, played 292 balls, and hit 42 boundaries and five sixes.
It was an incredible display of stroke after stroke, attested with a disdainful square-drive off the last ball before tea. Sehwag played the stroke, and turned away, heading for the dressing room, not even bothering to look where the ball had gone.
That was a classic example of how much in command he was, as he scored 108 runs in the post-lunch session at an incredible clip. All the strokes, from the classic cover drive to the audacious reverse sweep were all deployed as the South African could only watch, and fetch the ball.
It was a double delight after lunch as Sehwag destroyed the South Africans to score an unbeaten 218 as India went into the tea break at 309 for one off 70 overs. Rahul Dravid was unbeaten on 10 then, incredible in the fact that the second wicket stand was of 96 runs at the break.
This was his fourth double-century, which put him in an elite club of Indians who had score four or more, the others being Dravid (five), Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. As with his century earlier, Sehwag is not one to wait in the 90’s. He swung Makhaya Ntini over square-leg for six to reach 199 fro 193, and next ball was hit towards mid-on for three more. Later he hit another six off Ntini, which was the signature of his disdain and domination.
It was Sehwag all the way. There was absolutely nothing that the visitors could do to stop him as he played shots at will, and the gaps in the field began looking bigger with every shot. Landmarks came and passed through like an express train as he peppered the off-side with one boundary after the other.
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While it could be said that the pitch did nothing for the South Africans, it still needs tremendous focus, not to mention stamina, to keep playing shots like Sehwag did, and it was always a one-man show, and almost everything he hit, stayed hit.
There were others in the drama, but they had nothing more than walk-through parts, and even decent scores began to look like very modest contributions. Wasim Jaffer departed after scoring 73 runs.
The Delhi batsman created a 213-run stand with Wasim Jaffer registered his 10th 150-plus score, overtook his best at Chennai and flashed past his highest against South Africa, which soon became the highest-ever by an Indian, as he surpassed Tendulkar’s 169, scored at Cape Town in 1996-97. Records kept tumbling like the South African fielders, barely being able to keep up with his pace.
Sehwag’s century, his 14th in 55 Tests, came off 116 balls in 199 minutes with 5 boundaries and a six. He is not one who waits in the 90’s living a worried life. A lofted drive for four through mid-wicket off Jacques Kallis took him to 99 from 95, and then another one, two balls later and this time over long-off, took him past the magic mark. This partnership was also the highest shared by these two batsmen.
Jaffer is not built to sustain attacking strokes for too long. But he was also in a pretty picture, since with the track offering nothing to the South Africans, he had the freedom of picking and choosing which deliveries to play, though it must be said that he did edge quite a few, and on a pitch with more purpose, one or more would have been catches.
Bu they were not, and he played on sedately, reaching his 50 off 107 balls, and not looking in any sort of trouble whatsoever.
The South Africans, to their credit, fielded very well. In the searing heat, which can sap you while you stand, they ran and threw themselves all over. The score could well have been 30-40 more had they been lax in the field. But unfortunately, that is the only thing they were allowed to do well.
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