When Virender Sehwag Joined Sachin Tendulkar In A Rare ODI Feat

image-lpw6zjopVirender Sehwag matched Sachin Tendulkar's feat (Twitter)

Virender Sehwag would hold Friday, December 8, very close to his heart as he scripted his maiden double century in One-Day Internationals on this day 12 years back. 

The swashbuckling former India opener blasted a majestic double hundred in the format and became only the second Indian batter at the time to achieve the tremendous landmark after his inspiration Sachin Tendulkar. 

Having expressed his great desire to join his hero in the esteemed list of batters to have recorded the great milestone, Sehwag waited only a year before matching Tendulkar's feat as he unleashed his wrath on the hapless West Indies side during the five-match ODI series played at home in the year 2011. 


When Sehwag Smashed 219 Off 149 Vs West Indies

Made stand-in India captain in the absence of MS Dhoni, who had been rested for the assignment, Sehwag blasted a whopping 219 off just 149 deliveries versus the Calypso Kings in the penultimate game of the series in Indore. 

Relishing one of the flattest batting surface and small boundary dimensions at the Holkar Stadium, the 'Nawab of Najafgarh' unveiled his brutal assault on the opposition attack and belted 25 fours and 7 sixes during his majestic knock. 

Sehwag recorded a strike rate of 146.97 and even battled cramps amidst excessive heat to make sure he fulfilled his deep-felt wish to score a double century in ODIs for India. Notably, the aggressive opener had missed out on the mark 10 months earlier when he smashed 175 off 140 balls in the 2011 World Cup game versus Bangladesh. 

Sehwag was at the time only the second Indian batter in the history of the game to have achieved the 200 landmark in ODIs after Tendulkar. The esteemed list has since been joined by veteran opener Rohit Sharma, who has made three double centuries, as well as rising young talents Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill.