Venue- M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai [26-30 March, 2008].
In the Summer of 2008, South African Cricket Team toured India to play 3 Test Matches. The First Test of the Series was scheduled in Chennai, and everyone knew it was going to be a tough game. Afterall Chennai in the month of March experiences a very hot weather which in turn can cause dehydration to both players and the umpires. So, everyone was prepared for the upcoming challenge.
On a bright sunny day, South African Captain Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat first. It turned out to be marvelous decision as the Proteas ended up scoring 540 in their first innings. Hashim Amla was the star of the inning as he scored an incredible 159 of 262 deliveries. Apart from Amla, McKenzie, Captain Smith and Boucher too scored magnificent half-centuries as Indians toiled for nearly 2 days. As, a result when Indians came out to bat it was necessary on their part that they bat long, not because they have to come close to the Proteas total, but because they need to give some time for their bowlers to rest and rejuvenate.
However, what we saw next was something incredible. Virender Sehwag scored his second triple hundred in one of the hottest days of the Indian Summer. Sehwag scored a massive 319 of just 304 deliveries. His innings comprised of 42 boundaries and 5 sixes. It is interesting to note that in front of the lethal South-African Bowling he batted with a Strike Rate of 104.93. This was truly an incredible knock by the Nawab of Najafgarh. Apart from him, Rahul Dravid too scored a gritty 111 of 291 balls as Indians ended up scoring 627 in their first innings.
It was quite evident that the match will end in a draw and that is what happened. However, the knock of Virender Sehwag will be remembered for the ages.
To watch the knock of Virender Sehwag, Click Here.
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