India score their highest ODI total
By IANSTuesday, December 15, 2009
RAJKOT - Virender Sehwag smashed 146 off 102 balls to power India to their highest One-day international (ODI) total of 414/7 in the first of the five ODIs against Sri Lanka here Tuesday.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara’s decision to field first backfired as India were off to an explosive start through Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar (69 off 63 balls). They scored 153 runs in 19.3 overs, laying the foundation of the big total.
After Tendulkar fell to Dilhara Fernando, both Sehwag and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (72 off 53 balls) kept the scoreboard moving at a breathtaking pace, adding 156 off 96 balls.
But both left within a space of two runs leading to a middle-order collapse as the batsmen looked to take their chances against the tired Sri Lankan attack.
Virat Kohli (27 off 19 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (30 not out off 17 balls) took the team past the 400-run mark.
India surpassed their previous best total of 413/5 against Bermuda that came in the 2007 World Cup.
Altogether, India hit 43 fours and 12 sixes with Sehwag alone smashing six sixes and 17 fours.
Sehwag and Tendulkar took some time to settle down as only 19 runs came in the first five overs.
Sehwag struck debutant Chanaka Welegedara for three fours in an over, making his intentions clear. Sehwag was at his imperious best as he tore apart the bowling attack single handedly before Tendulkar joined the party.
Sehwag’s 50 came from just 34 balls while Tendulkar reached his half-century from 48 balls.
Dilhara Fernando (2-66) rattled Tendulkar’s stumps, but there was no respite for Sri Lanka as Sehwag and Dhoni continued in the same vein.
Chanaka Welegedara (2-63) dismissed Sehwag and Dhoni followed four balls later, miscuing a slower ball from Fernando into the hands of Angelo Mathews.
Dhoni’s 53 ball-innings had seven fours and three sixes. It also took him past the 5,000-run-mark in ODIs.
Sri Lanka took nearly four hours to get through the 50 overs and are almost likely to face a fine.
