Top three innings of Virender Sehwag in Test Cricket 

Sourav Ganguly saw something in Virender Sehwag when he asked him to open for India in Test Cricket. What followed was that the Indian batter re-defined how Test Cricket was played and inspired many others to do the same. 

David Warner for one has advocated how Virender Sehwag had inspired him. In a test career which lasted nearly a decade, Virender Sehwag played a key role with the bat. His ability to take the new ball put the opposition teams under pressure. 

Virender Sehwag played 104 test matches for India and scored 8586 runs with 23 centuries and 32 half centuries. Sehwag had an average of 49.3 and had a strike rate of 82 in test cricket.

Here we take a look at his three innings of Virender Sehwag in Test Cricket:

319 versus South Africa – Chennai – 2008 

South Africa batted first and scored 540 runs in their 1st innings thanks to Hashim Amla’s 159. There were half-centuries for Graeme Smith, Neil Mckenzie, and Mark Boucher. The Indian reply saw Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer come out firing on all cylinders. 

Sehwag in particular was severe on every bowler as he made the Proteas bowlers toil in Chennai.  The right-handed-batter scored 319 runs from 304 balls with 42 fours and 5 sixes in his knock. With the first IPL a few weeks away it seemed as if Sehwag was giving a trailer of the things in store for the bowlers. 

309 versus Pakistan – Multan -2004 

Playing in their first test in Pakistan for over 15 years, India made an instant impact. The Indian team won the first test in Multan by an innings and 52 runs and made history. Virender Sehwag began the history-making feat by becoming the 1st Indian to score a triple ton in test cricket. 

The then 25-year-old scored 309 runs from 375 balls with 6 sixes and 39 fours. What made the innings special was that Sehwag reached his century and trip century with a six. The match is also known for Rahul Dravid declaring the innings with Sachin Tendulkar batting on 194. 

293 versus Sri Lanka – Mumbai – 2009 

Batting first Sri Lanka were all out for 393 thanks to centuries by T. Dilshan and 99 by Angelo Mathews. What followed was carnage as the Indian team scored 726/9 from 163.3 overs. 

Virender Sehwag was the architect of the huge total with an innings 293 runs with 280 plus runs coming in a single day. Sehwag scored his runs off 254 balls with 40 fours and 7 sixes. India won the game by an innings and 24 runs and became the World Number 1 side for the first time in test cricket. 

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