Scintillating triple ton from Sehwag!

Virender Sehwag treated the crowd to some scintillating batting,  scoring the fastest triple century in Test history, at the M.A. Chidambram Stadium in Chennai yesterday. What an exhilarating joy ride it was - stroke after scorching stroke flowed from his bat all day long as he scored more than 250 runs in a single day! And, nothing could stop him really, not even Paul Harris' tactic of bowling well outside leg. He either stepped out and drove inside out or reverse swept - one almost going for a six - never once slowing down. This innings will be remembered as much for the simplicity of his 'I see ball, I hit ball' temperament as the audaciousness of his stroke play for a very long time!

It's hard to pick out a couple of shots as the best when his whole innings - filled with 41 fours and five sixes - was like a highlights package! But, a couple of moments stood out for me. One was when he just stood in the crease and cut a good length ball on the off stump behind point for four and Arun Lal in the commentary box exclaimed -  "Coaches tell you to get to the pitch of the ball; if you did that, you could never put that ball away for four!".  That shot summarized Sehwag's game - his talent lies not in sound technique, but in backing his blessed hand-eye coordination with good shot selection. He rarely moves his feet, but, when in form, stays beautifully balanced.

The other was the last over before tea. Most batsmen would be content to play safe the last couple of overs before a break, especially if they had just scored a double century in blistering hot conditions, but not Sehwag - he clobbered Ntini for 15 runs in the over, including a smashing four off the last ball and nonchalantly walked back to the pavilion. That attitude showcased his simple approach to batting - playing every ball on its merit, without worrying too much about what had happened before or what is going to happen next.

With good support from Jaffer and Dravid, he has turned the match around and put India in a position of strength. With two more days of play left, the Indians can force a win from here, but, will they?