[Watch] When Virender Sehwag Was Denied Century By Suraj Randiv's No-Ball

image-lnybambaMS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag after defeating Sri Lanka in 2010 (x.com)

Bowlers in cricket, at the brink of an inevitable defeat, often employ a cunning tactic of sending down deliberate wides or no-balls in a bid to thwart an opposition batsman from getting to a significant milestone. Unsurprisingly, the integrity of such unsportsmanlike conduct almost always becomes a subject of controversy.

One of such ugly incidents unfurled at a 2010 triangular series contest between India and Sri Lanka in Dambulla, when then opener Virender Sehwag was denied a century by hosts off-spinner Suraj Randiv.


When Sehwag was left stranded on 99*

Team India, under MS Dhoni, toured Sri Lanka in 2010 for a tri-nation series involving New Zealand as the third team. Within Round 1 of the competition, the ‘Men in Blue’ went up against the hosts in Dambulla in search of a much-needed win.

After dismantling Sri Lanka for just 170 upfront, Indian opener Virender Sehwag got his side off to a flier, even though he kept losing partners at the other hand. He eventually found an able associate in MS Dhoni as the two took India to a brink of victory. The occasion also coincided with Sehwag nearing yet another triple-figure score.

However, when the team was just a run away from an easy win and the dashing opener was batting at 99*, then Sri Lankan off-spinner Suraj Randiv bowled a deliberate no-ball to prevent the batsman from getting to his century. Sehwag was not only robbed of a well-deserved ton but also of a glorious match-winning hit over long-off.

After the proceedings, Virender Sehwag admitted that he knew Suraj Randiv’s move was deliberate, but also defended the Sri Lankan team for the same citing no side wants an opposition batsman to score a century against them. He said:

“Bowlers often try to bowl wides or no-balls when the batsmen are on 99 and when the scores are level. It does happen in cricket because nobody wants to allow a batsman to score a 100 against them. So, it’s fair enough.”

Virender Sehwag eventually retired with 15 ODI hundreds, and a World Cup to his name where his side defeated a Suraj Randiv-fueled Sri Lankan team in the 2011 final. The former opening batsman also scored 23 Test centuries, including two triple tons to go down as one of the greatest cricketers of all time.