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The world's most flamboyant batsman over the last decade, Virender Sehwag, dished out a beating and more to the Sri Lankan bowlers on day 2 of the third and final test of the Jaypee Cup 2009 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Sehwag's unbeaten innings of 284 from just 239 deliveries took India comfortably past Sri Lanka's first innings total of 393, and to a position of complete dominance in this test match. Despite being 1-0 up in the series, the hosts have every incentive to go for a win as such an outcome would see them climb to the top of the ICC Test Rankings for the very first time since the new ranking system was established in 2003 .

Sri Lanka came into the second day with two wickets in hand, and allrounder Angelo Mathews 14 runs shy of a maiden test hundred. Sadly for Mathews he was unable to achieve the milestone, falling tantalizingly short by just one run. The plucky middle order batsman tried to steal a second run that would have taken him to three figures, but was beaten by a bullet throw from the deep square leg by Sachin Tendulkar. The final pair of Chanaka Welegedara and Muralitharan added a further 14 runs to the score after Mathews' dismissal before Pragyan Ojha wrapped up the innings trapping the former leg before.

Sri Lanka had added a useful 27 runs to their overnight score, and perhaps would have also given the Indian openers a reason to smile batting out the first half hour or so when the pitch was likely to be at its most venomous. Virender Sehwag had a new partner for this game with the 'Second Wall of Indian Cricket' Gautam Gambhir away due to familial engagements. Murali Vijay, however, looked completely at home on the placid track at the Brabourne Stadium and for the first half hour or so matched Sehwag almost stroke for stroke.

The young Tamil Nadu batsman opened his account with a trademark flick through square-leg and raced to 11 from 9 balls with two well run 3s in the second over from Nuwan Kulasekara. Sehwag opened his boundary account with an on-drive in the 4th over, and as they say, the rest is history.

India took 92 runs off the 18 overs available before lunch, Vijay heading into the break on 38 keeping Sehwag (53) good company. The youngster showed his attacking pedigree soon after lunch, hitting his only six of the day to bring up his maiden test 50. Had it not been for the class that already reeks from this Indian batting order, he would surely have got an opportunity to play more test cricket for India.

Despite all the runs that were scored in the day, the highlight of the day's play was the enthusiasm with which Sehwag, a veteran with 6000 runs under his belt, celebrated his young partner's achievement. Surely one of the signs of a team playing well is the measure of how much they enjoy each other's success, and the extra large hug from Viru and the additional words in his ears would have done Murali Vijay no dearth of good.

Sehwag soon returned to his more usual task of butchering the bowling and brought up his century with a Tendulkar-esque paddle smack off Muralitharan behind the keeper for 4. He took only 101 balls to get to the landmark. At the other end, Murali Vijay failed to make the most of the extra life that he was awarded by the Lankans when on 67, falling for 87 plumb leg before to Rangana Herath. Vijay would be disappointed with the attempted sweep that led to his dismissal, playing across the line and not covering the line with his front pad. The partnership was broken for 221, just 2 runs shy of what Sehwag and Gambhir added for the first wicket in Kanpur, that partnership amazingly took 2 overs more than this one!

Rahul Dravid was the new man in, and though the former skipper did remain unbeaten on 62 at the close of play, the rest of day belonged well and truly to the Delhi dasher. India went in to tea at 260/1 adding a massive 168 runs in the second session at well over 6 an over, and Sehwag unbeaten on 151 was just getting started. The milestones kept ticking away as the Indian 300 and 400 fell by the wayside, more or less unnoticed in the severity of Sehwag's flawless display.

The 57th over bowled by Kulasekara was to be the coup de grace as Sehwag smashed 18 runs from it, including 4 boundaries, to race to 202 from just 168 balls, bringing up his 6th career double hundred.

A tiring Sehwag continued to bat in that fashion which is uniquely his own, and the runs just kept flowing as he inched his way closer to a world record third career triple century. He played his first false shot when on 268, but an attempted 8th hit for six slid off the face of the bat and went through a vacant third man region for 4. With his concentration understandably waning at the end of a long tiring day, Sehwag presented a sharp chance to Mahela Jayawardene at first slip in the following over, but was lucky to earn a reprieve.

Dravid marshalled the strike well towards the end of the day, doing his bit to see Sehwag through to the close of play with 284 runs next to his name, and India 50 runs to the good with 9 wickets in hand. With Sehwag aspiring to move a league ahead of the legendary Don Bradman and the great Brian Lara by becoming the first batsman in the history of the game to score three triple hundred's in test cricket, you can expect a packed house at the Brabourne Stadium tomorrow. Throw in the added incentive of watching Sachin Tendulkar come out to bat next, Mumbai may as well declare a holiday!

Mini Scorecard:

Sri Lanka 1st innings 393 all out (89 overs, 4.15rpo)
Dilshan 109 (160)                Harbhajan Singh 4-112
Mathews 99 (131)                Ojha 3-101

India 1st innings 443/1 (79 overs, 5.63rpo)
Sehwag 284* (239)             Herath 1-112
Vijay 87 (121)

File Photograph Copyright: Chandru

Click here for an additional live account from Anurag Bhide at Brabourne Stadium