Culture

Super Sehwag

March 31, 2008
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Sadly, India’s Virender Sehwag could not continue on Saturday where he left off on Friday, soon falling to South Africa’s second new ball, 81 short of Brian Lara’s world record for the highest innings (400 not out) in test cricket.

His 319 was nonetheless by far the fastest triple century ever compiled in test matches—he reached 300 off 278 balls, 84 balls fewer than Matthew Hayden, the previous record-holder. It was Sehwag’s second triple century, a feat that puts him in an exclusive club with Brian Lara, the leading run-scorer in tests, and Don Bradman, the greatest batsman ever.

But it was the manner of this innings that was extraordinary, described by Sehwag's captain, Rahul Dravid, as “like watching a highlights package” (which you can do here). Sehwag’s second and third hundreds took him 78 and 84 balls—to hit two centuries in an entire test career at that sort of speed is an achievement exclusive, I believe, to Adam Gilchrist and Ian Botham, but to sustain it over an entire day is unprecedented. The heat and humidity in Chennai make it all the more remarkable, as does the fact that the South African attack was experienced to the tune of 718 test wickets and has a bowler, Dale Steyn, with one of the best strike rates of all time. As it turned out, Steyn was too sharp for the rest of the Indian batting line-up, and the game petered out into a tame draw. Sehwag’s fireworks all around the wicket will, though, live long in the memory, whether his six over extra-cover or his reverse-swept fours off Paul Harris, South Africa’s best spinner in a generation.

The fearlessness shown by Sehwag is a far cry from England’s batsmen, Simon Wilde observes in the Sunday Times—even Kevin Pietersen scores ten runs fewer per 100 balls. As Sehwag careered through the (usually) nervous nineties with sixes and lofted fours, it was hard to remember that this was only his third match back after being dropped from the side for a year.

England’s Andrew Strauss recently made a scratchy return to the side before scoring a gutsy, career-resurrecting 177 in his third match back. Though a fine innings, it was a far cry from Sehwag’s joyous knock, and if England are to win back the Ashes in 2009, Ian Bell and co will clearly have to bat at their fluent best. In view of the ever-increasing sway of the various Indian leagues, it is vital that we are reminded what a fantastic spectacle test cricket can be—Virender Sehwag is to be thanked for doing just that.

(The full day’s play can be seen here.)