Speaking to the media after achieving the remarkable feat at Indore, Sehwag said that he was happy to have broken his role model Sachin Tendulkar’s record and dedicated the knock to his late father. He said that it will not be easy for people to score double hundreds as over the last couple of years only two people have done it. He went on to state that it was one of his very best innings. Comparing Test cricket and one-dayers, Sehwag said that in tests one could bat longer, while in one-dayers one had to keep an eye on the run-rate, plus bowlers are also after the batsman for snapping their wicket.
Recalling his knock at the Holkar Stadium, Indore, in December 2011, Sehwag had discussed with his opening partner, Gautam Gambhir, that with patience they could put up a big score as the outfield was fantastic and the distance to the boundary was only 50 yards. Sehwag raced to his double-century in just 140 balls and smashed Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the highest individual score in an ODI by scoring 219, which included seven sixes and 25 fours. The dashing opener said that it was a true batting wicket and whenever he hit the ball into the gaps, the ball would race to the boundary, and when he hit with a straight bat it would go over the fence for six.
It was only during the batting Powerplay between the 35th and 40th overs that Sehwag felt that a double century was possible. He believed that God too was with him, when Sammy dropped him on 170. Patting Sehwag for his splendid performance, Indian skipper M S Dhoni said that he believed that when the going was good, Sehwag had the ability to score 200 because apart from the big shots, he also used the bowlers’ pace against them and played calculative innings. Dhoni said that it was a pleasure watching him bat and he had the potential to repeat his performance.
When questioned about his technique adopted while playing, the dashing opener said that he didn’t believe in technique, but believed in performance. He said that if one was tough, they would survive even if they did not have any technique. Popular for his natural game, Sehwag said that he smashed a ball if it was for hitting and wasn’t disappointed if he lost his wicket while playing a loose delivery.
Born on October 20, 1978, to Kishan and Krishna, the Nawab of Najafgarh, is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler. He donned the Indian cap for the one-dayers in 1999 and the Test cap two years later. For his explosive batting performance, Sehwag was honoured as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for his performance in 2008 and 2009. Holding numerous records to his credit, Sehwag scored 309 against Pakistan in Multan in 2004, and bettered his previous record in March 2008 at Chennai against South Africa by scoring 319 in Test cricket, the fastest triple century in the history of international cricket, reaching the 300 off only 278 balls. In another feat, he raced to 250 in 207 balls against Sri Lanka on December 3, 2009 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. His other memorable knocks include 309 and 293. In March 2009, Sehwag scored 100 in 60 balls. On Sehwag’s Pakistan knock, former test player Navjot Singh Sidhu said that Sehwag was a player of paranormal ability.
In tests, he won the Man of the series awards five times, with the best being against Pakistan in the year 2004-05, and Man of the Match awards eight times with a superb performance against South Africa in 2007/08, where he scored 319 in Chennai. In the ODIs, Sehwag won the Man of the series awards only twice, showing his best against the Kiwis by smashing 299 in 2008-09, and Man of the Match awards a record 22 times, with the best at Indore against the Windies in 2011.
Married to Aarti Ahlawat in April 2004, Sehwag is blessed with a son Aryavir, and has launched his own cricket academy to give back to the society. Following the footsteps of his predecessors, in 2005, Sehwag too opened a restaurant titled Sehwag Favourites, at the Fun Republic cineplex in Delhi. Majority of the dishes on the menu are named after cricketing themes related to his memorable innings, such as Multan Ke Sultan Ki Tikdi. He is also an ambassador for UNICEF.
Awards & Achievements:
* Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World (2009 and 2008)
* Arjuna Award (2002)
* Sehwag was named in World Test team in 2005, 2008, 2010 and was named in World One Day Team in 2009
* ICC Test Player of the Year 2010
Test Match
Man of the Series Awards
1. India in Pakistan 2003/04
2. South Africa in India 2004/05
3. Pakistan in India 2004/05 544 runs
4. Sri Lanka in India 2009/10 491 runs
5. India in Sri Lanka 2010 348 runs
One Day Internationals
Man of the Series Awards
1. India in New Zealand 2008/09
2. India, New Zealand & Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka Triangular Series 2010/11 268 runs
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