Savage Sehwag ravages Windies

INDORE—Swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag bludgeoned a world record 219 as India handed West Indies a 153-run drubbing to win their one-day international series. Sehwag broke compatriot Sachin Tendulkar's ODI mark of 200 not out against South Africa at Gwalior last year to help register a team score of 418-5 in 50 overs, India's highest ever in one-dayers. In reply, West Indies was all out for 265 in 49.2 overs, with a valiant run-a-ball 96 by Denesh Ramdin. Spinners Rahul Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets apiece. Sehwag accumulated an astounding 142 runs from boundaries, smashing 25 fours and seven sixes in 149 balls to help seal the five-game series 3-1. Sehwag's 15th ODI century was his first as captain and beat his previous best of 175 against Bangladesh at the 2011 World Cup. The Delhi batsman enabled his team to better its previous best of 414-7 against Sri Lanka at Rajkot in 2009 and also register the joint-fourth highest ever in ODIs.

“I was cheering for Sachin when he got his double-hundred and it's great to break his record,” Sehwag said. “The last time I played 47 overs, I got 175. This time I got 200.” The hard-hitting Sehwag reached hundred in only 69 balls with a four through point off pace bowler Kieron Pollard and broke world mark with a similar shot. After a few singles in the 190s, Sehwag cracked another four through point, this time off Andre Russell, to move from 197 to 201 to beat Tendulkar's record. But unlike Tendulkar, who reached the 200-run mark in the last over of the innings, Sehwag got there in only the 44th over, triggering celebrations in the packed 30,000-capacity Holkar Cricket Stadium. The 33-year-old Sehwag pumped his fist in joy and raised his hands as he was first hugged by batting partner Rohit Sharma and then congratulated by the West Indian players. “I had told my opening partner Gautam Gambhir that if we can show some patience on this track we will be in for a big one,” Sehwag said. “It was only after the batting powerplay started, I felt that I could reach a double-hundred.”

Sehwag showed his trademark aerial shots early on, hitting an “upper-cut” six over third man off pace bowler Kemar Roach and then welcoming Sunil Narine into the attack with a six over long-on from the offspinner's first ball. He hammered Narine for another six over long-on later in the innings, while also hitting three sixes off Russell and one off captain Darren Sammy. Sehwag, who captained India in the absence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, survived a few run-out chances and was also dropped on 170 by Sammy off pace bowler Ravi Rampaul. “When Sammy dropped me, I knew that God was with me,” said Sehwag, who was eventually out in the 47th over when he miscued a shot and was caught on the long-off boundary. “Sehwag has destroyed bowlers all over the world,” Sammy said. “We bowled some good balls but he played better shots.”

Electing to bat after opting to field in the previous three games, Sehwag added 176 in the opening stand with Gambhir (67) and 140 for the next with Suresh Raina (55). Gambhir, who replaced Parthiv Patel as opener after batting at No. 3 in the first three games, got most of his early runs on the off side and opted not to go for big shots with Sehwag running riot at the other end. Raina was also happy playing second fiddle to Sehwag, hitting six fours in 44 balls. In the West Indies' innings, opener Lendl Simmons showed some early promise in a 35-ball knock of 36 before the Indian spinners took control of the proceedings. Debutant legspinner Rahul Sharma dismissed a well-set Marlon Samuels (33) as the batsman played on. The lanky bowler also bowled Danza Hyatt (11) and Kieron Pollard (3) as West Indies was reduced to 100-5 in the 16th over with the fight all but over. Ramdin struck 12 fours but could only manage to prolong the innings before he was caught in the deep in sight of a century. The final game of the series will be held in Chennai on Sunday.

SCOREBOARD

India vs West Indies
INDIA (maximum 50 overs)

G. Gambhir run out (Samuels)     67
V. Sehwag c (sub) Martin b Pollard     219
S. Raina run out (Russell)     55
R. Jadeja c Rampaul b Russell     10
Rohit Sharma b Roach     27
V. Kohli not out     23
+P. Patel not out     3
Extras (lb1, w13)     14
TOTAL (5 wkts, 50 overs)     418
Fall of wickets: 1-176 (Gambhir, 22.5 overs); 2-316 (Raina, 40.2); 3-341 (Jadeja, 43.2); 4-376 (Sehwag, 46.3); 5-393 (Rohit Sharma, 47.6)
Bowling: Roach 10-0-88-1; Rampaul 9-0-66-0 (w3); Russell 7-0-63-1 (w1); Narine 6-0-46-0 (w2);     Sammy 3-0-30-0 (w5); Pollard 7-0-65-1 (w2); Samuels 8-0-59-0

WEST INDIES
(target: 419 off 50 overs)

L. Simmons c wkpr Patel b Jadeja     36
K. Powell run out (Sharma/Ashwin)     7
M. Samuels b Rahul Sharma     33
D. Hyatt b Rahul Sharma     11
D. Ramdin c Rohit Sharma b Raina     96
K. Pollard b Rahul Sharma     3
A. Russell st Patel b Raina     29
D. Sammy c Mithun b Ashwin     2
R. Rampaul c (sub) Tiwary b Jadeja     10
K. Roach c and b Jadeja     7
S. Narine not out     27
Extras (lb2, w2)     4
TOTAL (all out, 49.2 overs)     265
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Powell, 1.6 overs); 2-63 (Simmons, 9.3); 3-81 (Samuels, 11.6); 4-90 (Hyatt, 13.6); 5-100 (Pollard, 15.6); 6-140 (Russell, 23.2); 7-145 (Sammy, 24.4); 8-168 (Rampaul, 32.2); 9-201 (Roach, 38.5)

Bowling: Vinay Kumar 4-0-34-0; Ashwin 10-0-59-1 (w1); Jadeja 10-2-34-3; Mithun 4-0-37-0 (w1); Rahul Sharma 10-0-43-0; Raina 6.2-0-17-2; Rohit Sharma 5-0-39-0

Result: India won by 153 runs
Series: India lead five-match series 3-1
Toss: India
Man-of-the-Match: V Sehwag (India)
Umpires: A. Hill, S.Ravi

Highest ODI Scores

219 —Virender Sehwag, India vs WI 2011
200-x — Sachin Tendulkar, India vs SA 2010
194-x — Charles Coventry, Zimbabwe vs Bang 2009
194 — Saeed Anwar, Pakistan vs India 1997
189-x — Viv Richards, West Indies vs  England 1984
189 — Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka vs  India 2000
188-x — Gary Kirsten, South Africa vs  UAE  1996
186-x — Sachin Tendulkar, India vs NZ 1999
185-x — Shane Watson, Australia vs Bangladesh 2011
183-x — Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India vs  Sri Lanka 2005
183 — Sourav Ganguly, India vs Sri Lanka 1999
x-not out