309 not out, Sehwag looking good for 400

Virender Sehwag hits his 2nd triple ton to join an elite club as he helps put India in command, reports Anand Vasu. Full scorecard | Pictures

They Began by calling him the poor man’s Tendulkar. Then they crowned him the Sultan of Multan before sending him back to his roots as the Nawab of Najafgarh. But now even the cleverest of sobriquets will not fit, for Virender Sehwag defies classification.

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In joining Don Bradman and Brian Lara with two Test triple hundreds, Sehwag has not merely underscored India’s presence on the cricketing map, he has repaid the faith of the masses by giving them unbridled joy.

It was on March 29 in 2004 that Sehwag made history, becoming the first Indian batsman to score a triple century. He pulled things back by a day, reaching the triple on March 28 2008, but history beckons once more as March 29 comes along.

“Tomorrow I’ll be fresh again, and if I can bat till lunch, then maybe I’ll think about Lara’s score,” Sehwag said when he emerged from his ice-bath.

Any other cricketer would have spent a sleepless night. Knowing Sehwag, he may drift off to sleep the moment his head hits the pillow. And when the umpire calls play on the fourth morning, South Africa’s nightmare will resume.