Indore: The dashing Virender Sehwag today scripted the remarkable feat of scoring the highest-ever ODI score of 219, thus achieving the unique distinction of being India`s highest individual scorer in both Tests and one-day internationals.
The flamboyant Indian opener become only the second cricketer in the world to score a double century in one-day internationals after Sachin Tendulkar who had scored an unbeaten 200 against South Africa in Gwalior in 2010.
The 33-year-old Sehwag`s pyrotechnics was on full display at the jam-packed Holkar cricket Stadium here as the opener racked up the score with the help of 25 fours and seven sixes in 149 balls to help India pile up a record 418 for five against West Indies in the fourth cricket ODI here.
Tendulkar had achieved the feat in Gwalior against South Africa on February 24 last year and within two years, Sehwag eclipsed the Mumbai maestro in achieveing the highest score in one-day international when he cut Andre Russell across the point boundary in the 43rd over.
His 219 also took him past the 8000-run mark in one-day international before being dismissed by Kieron Pollard in the 46.3 over at a team score of 376-4. Looking for a six, Sehwag mis-hit shot landed at the hands of A Martin at long-off.
En route to his double ton, Sehwag forged a massive 176-run stand with Gautam Gambhir in 22.5 overs, before stitching 140 runs with Suresh Raina in 105 balls to set India on course for a mammoth total.
Sehwag, who made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 1999 at Mohali, was at his dominating best right from the start of his innings as he cut, drove, pulled with utmost ease and murdered the bowlers at will and in no time brought up his 15th one-day hundred. In Tests, he has scored 22 centuries.
Sehwag was dropped when on 170 with West Indies captain Darren Sammy missing out on a sitter.
Except for the `life` gifted by Sammy in the 38th over, it was a vintage Sehwag who played his shots in his characteristic swashbuckling fashion on a belter of a pitch.
Incidentally, it was the same Samundar Singh Chauhan, the curator in Gwalior when Tendulkar scored his 200 not out, who prepared the Holkar Stadium pitch on which Sehwag made the highest score in an ODI innings on Thursday.
Ironically also, both the double centuries in ODI history were scored in Madhya Pradesh and on a pitch prepared by the same curator.
During his record breaking innings, Sehwag, who made his ODI debut in 1999 against Pakistan, also went past 8,000 run mark, at an aggregate of 8025 runs from 240 matches. He has scored 14 hundreds and 37 fifties in ODIs before Thursday`s match.
He is the sixth Indian to have scored more than 8,000 runs in ODIs after Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Yuvraj Singh.
In Test cricket, Sehwag has scored 22 hundreds, including two triple tons, and 30 half centuries. He has scored 7,980 runs from 92 Tests at an average of 52.15 after making his debut in 2001 against South Africa.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, December 08, 2011, 19:13