Second,second to none

Sehwag does a Tendulkar by scoring ODI double hundred,with 219; India win series.

Few know of the fact that a compact disc forms a permanent part of Virender Sehwag8217;s kit bag. He has watched it so often in the past one-and-a-half years that he almost knows every scene,angle and narrative like the back of his hand. The climax too,unlike with most other films that he watches,never ceases to amaze him. Everytime Sachin Tendulkar raises his bat to bring in the first-ever ODI double century,Sehwag bursts into an impromptu round of applause while watching the Gwalior footage at home or in the team hotel. All that education,as Sehwag likes to call the particular disc,paid off not too far away from where it was first recorded.

On Thursday at the Holkar Stadium in Indore,Sehwag finally did what Tendulkar,and the rest of the world,had expected of him since he became an opening bat: score a 200 in one-day cricket. He not only equalled Tendulkar,but shattered the mark by 19 runs to become the record holder for the highest score in the format. With his 149-ball epic,Sehwag ensured that as far as Indian cricket is concerned,he will be remembered as the man who held the highest individual scores in both Tests and ODIs at the same time.

Nothing else mattered

A game of cricket was also played,and India beat the West Indies by the exact same margin as they crushed South Africa in Gwalior in 2010 153 runs. Chasing an improbable 419 for victory,WI were bowled out for 265,as only wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin managed to go past the score of 50. When he holed out while trying to notch his century on 96,India won the series 3-1 with a game to spare. Debutant Rahul Sharma finished with 3/43 in his 10 overs,while Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina chipped in with three and two wickets each.

Raina had a good all-round day on the field,also contributing with 55 with the bat as he hit himself back into form. But both Raina and Gautam Gambhir 67 who watched the best part of the pyro from 22 yards away as India powered on to their highest ODI score of 418/5 in 50 overs will know the day wont be remembered for them. Safe to say that even India8217;s fourth and best total above 400 and the series win paled in comparison to the feat of one man.

A century of fours

If Tendulkar was clinical in tearing apart the South Africans en route to 200,Sehwag was nothing but brutal against the West Indies in his 219. In his knock,one century came purely off boundaries 25 fours and almost another half in sixes seven. West Indies captain Darren Sammy should have seen it coming,for Sehwag put a miniscule version of his entire innings within the first 10 runs itself. While he only trampled over the 22-yard wicket for the first run of the game,Sehwag entered double digits with a flick through midwicket off Ravi Rampaul and a deft upper cut off Kemar Roach for six.

The half century was brought up in 41 balls,as Sehwag bulldozed the third six of his innings to bring up yet another mini-landmark. But from 50-100,Sehwag was at his devastating best. Within the space of just 28 balls,Sehwag notched up his century. But the greatness of this segment was that he took just nine balls to score 40 runs,and ran a total of 10 runs. With seven Viruvian fours and two humongous sixes,Sehwag brought up No.15 in the 23rd over. But of the very next ball,Gambhir was run-out to give the boys from the Caribbean their first heave of relief. It didn8217;t last.

Back in form

Raina walked in at No.3,a tactically strong move by Sehwag as the visitors were struggling against the left-right pair. Raina was content in rotating the strike and Sehwag in finding the gaps whenever he didn8217;t get a boundary ball. Raina brought up his 20th half-century in one-day cricket during the 40th over,but the crowd were clearly more interested in the man at the other end of the wicket,who had reached 182.

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Having been dropped by Sammy on 171,an exhausted Sehwag was given just the impetus the second half of his innings needed a wake-up call. There was no looking back from there on,as Sehwag hammered an Andre Russell full-toss outside off-stump to the fine-leg boundary to become the second man to reach the everest of 200,but the first to go past it.

Changing gears

0-50 41 balls,3x4s,3x6s

Virender Sehwags first 10 runs were a microcosm of his entire innings. Only for the first run did he have to run,after which a four and an upper cut for six took him to double digits. Two more boundaries and one aerial hit got Sehwag to 49,before he brought up yet another landmark with another maximum.

50-100 28 balls,7x4s,2x6s

40 runs came off just nine deliveries,as Sehwag demoralised the West Indians in the most productive 50-run segment of the day. Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir ran just 10 singles when the former was on strike. Century No.15 was brought up in 69 balls.

100-150 43 balls,6x4s,0x6s

Laboured,by Viruvian standards. Only 24 runs were scored in boundaries. Sehwag preferred not using his energy in creating sixes. And none were hit en route to 150.

150-200 28 balls,7x4s,1x6s

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Darren Sammy will always remember the moment he dropped Sehwag on 171. An exhausted Sehwag sliced Ravi Rampaul inside-out straight into Sammys palms,but incredibly,the ball popped out. The utter disbelief was the story of the last phase of his innings,as he equalled,parred and later shattered Sachin Tendulkars 200.