15 December,2009 02:26 PM IST | | PTI
Virender Sehwag struck a whirlwind 102-ball 146 to power India to their highest ever total in one-day cricket, a massive 414 for seven, against Sri Lanka in the first match on Tuesday.
Sachin Tendulkar (69) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (72) also hit blazing half-centuries as India surpassed their previous best total of 413 for five which they made against Bermuda at Port of Spain during the 2007 World Cup.
Sehwag, who took a heavy toll of the Lanka bowlers in the Tests, was unstoppable after a cautious beginning and made a career-best 146 in just 102 balls with 17 fours and six.
Sehwag and Tendulkar, who played the perfect foil to make a fine 63-ball 69 with 10 fours and a six before being bowled by Dilhara Fernando, laid a solid foundation with a 153-run partnership after Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara opted to field first on winning the toss.
| Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar |
After Tendulkar's departure in the 20th over, Sehwag, whose previous best was 130 against New Zealand in 2003, and Dhoni (72 off 63 balls) got involved in a splendid 156-run partnership for the second wicket to take India past the 300-mark in the 35th over.
Dhoni struck the ball with tremendous force and pierced the gaps beautifully even when the field was spread out besides opting to send the ball soaring well over the boundary during his century stand for the second wicket off only 98 balls with Sehwag.
Lanka separated the pair within two runs and in the space of five balls after India took the batting power play.
Gautam Gambhir too was sent back during this five-over period to arrest the runaway Indian run-machine. The visitors dismissed Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh between the 41st and 45th overs as India lost five wickets for 43 runs.
Virat Kohli hit a quick 27 off 19 balls with four fours while local boy Ravindra Jadeja struck an unbeaten 30 with two sixes and a four in 17 balls to take the home team to their best-ever tally in ODIs.
India started sedately after being asked to take first strike by Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara with the openers raising only 19 in the first five overs as the ball was darting around a bit.
However, the next five overs yielded 52 runs. The Delhi dasher swung Chanaka Welegedara and then lofted the southpaw over extra cover for two fours to race to his half century in only 34 balls with the help of eight fours and two sixes.
Tendulkar, playing his 437th ODI, off and square drove Fernando for fours and then guided two short balls to the third man fence to complete his glittering career's 92nd fifty in 48 balls with nine fours.
Fernando got his revenge soon after as he disturbed Tendulkar's timber with a ball that kept low and came in too. Sehwag swung Jayasuriya for a four and then hit Mathews for two successive fours to reach his 12th hundred off only 66 balls. His second hundred against the visitors included 12 fours and five sixes.
Incidentally his 66-ball hundred was two adrift of the record created by Yuvraj Singh against England last year.
Yuvraj missed Tuesday's match due to a finger injury. Dhoni, who started cautiously, picked up Jayasuriya for special attention by slamming the veteran for two sixes and one four in the 25th over of the innings.
The India skipper used the power of his forearms to send a ball from Tillakaratne Dilshan out of the ground and then hit him inside out to the cover region for a four to keep the scores moving at a rapid rate.
He hit a tennis-like forehand shot off the other off break bowler Thilina Kandamby for another six to reach his 50 in 34 balls with four fours and two sixes.
India took the batting power play after the 34th over, the score reading 296 for one, and both Sehwag and Dhoni were dismissed during this period.
Sehwag was caught at point off Welegedara to give the bowler some consolation after his harsh treatment by the batsman while Fernando, easily the pick of the visiting team s attack, sent back Dhoni by having him caught at covers.
Later Gambhir was caught behind off Kulasekara in the 39th over as India made a complete hash of the Power Play by losing three important wickets while adding only 33 runs.
Then Raina (16) mistimed a pull shot and skied to short mid wicket off Kulasekara and Harbhajan was caught at third man off Angelo Mathews as the Indian innings went into a decline before Kohli and local boy Jadeja (30 not out) put on 34 runs in six overs to prop it up again.
