Virender Sehwag cracked a robust 99 not out
Virender Sehwag cracked a robust 99 not out to help India post a comfortable six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the triangular one-day series yesterday.
Sehwag, 31, was one short of his 13th one-day hundred when the match ended with off-spinner Suraj Randiv's no-ball, which was eventually smashed for a six by the batsman.
"It happens in cricket," said man-of-the-match Sehwag. "The other team doesn't want anybody to score a hundred against them.
Indian opener Virender Sehwag has revealed today on Twitter that Sri Lankan off-spinner Suraj Randiv came to his room after the match and apologized. Sehwag missed his century in last night’s ODI match as Randiv deliberately bowled him a no ball.
Sehwag was just one run short of his 13th ODI hundred when Randiv, who had not bowled a no ball in the Test or ODI series in this season, bowled a no ball which was hard-hit by Viru for a six. But it did not count as per the rule of ICC, because the no ball already resulted to India's winning run leaving Sehwag on 99 not out. In the post match press conference Sehwag criticised Randiv’s strategy but the issue cooled off after Randiv offered apology.
India needs to get one run to win. Sehwag drives, and the batsman race across for a single. The ball then goes on to cross the boundary. Do you award Sehwag one run, or four? Clearly, the answer is ‘four’ – despite the fact that the first of those runs won the game.
It is not the intention of this post to ‘excuse’ what Randiv did, or what Sangakkara asked him to do. That action was clearly unsporting, childish, petty. Here was one of the great batsman of the modern era, in challenging conditions, digging deep within himself to play a match-winning innings that was contrary to type. A gracious opposition would have admired, applauded; instead, the Lankans appear to have conspired to score a childish ‘victory’.