Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.
Venue- Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore [January 2006].
In the winters of 2006, Indian Cricket Team toured Pakistan to play 3 Tests and 5 ODIs. The first test of the series was scheduled in Lahore - A Venue where both the Teams had brilliant track record. Pakistani Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq won the toss and decided to bat first. On a flat wicket, Younis Khan (199), Mohammad Yousuf (173), Shahid Afridi (103), and Kamran Akmal (102) registered hundreds as the Pakistanis reached a massive score of 679 for the loss of 7 wickets.
Indians were feeling the heat. They needed to respond appropriately to Pakistan. However, nobody anticipated what transpired at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. In that Test, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid batted for four days in a row, beginning on Day 2 and ending on Day 5, wherein they put up a record 410 opening-wicket stand.
Only three runs short of the 413-run record set by Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy against New Zealand in Chennai in 1956, it was the second-highest opening-wicket partnership in the history of India's Test cricket. In Test history, it is still India's second-highest partnership for any wicket.
The Nawab of Najafgarh amassed his third century-plus score in an innings against Pakistan - he had clearly developed a fondness for their formidable attack. Following his triumphs in Multan in 2004 (309) and Bengaluru in 2005 (201), Sehwag scored more than 200 runs against Pakistan, his third century-plus score in as many years, this time on foreign territory! His 254 included 47 fours and one six off just 247 deliveries. It is interesting to note that Sehwag batted for around 328 minutes before being dismissed for 254.
On that particular day in Lahore, Sehwag was at his most lethal best taking on opponents like Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami, and Shoaib Akhtar with ease. In just 77.2 overs, India finished the first innings at 410 for 1. Despite the match ending in a draw India had made a significant statement.
To watch the innings of Virender Sehwag, Click Here.
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