India in SL

Virender Sehwag on Friday extended his world record for hitting his last 11 hundreds as 150-plus innings.

However, what comes as a surprise is that India have capiatlised only once on his big knock and converted it in to a win. The win came in the Multan Test against Pakistan in 2003-04 when Sehwag made his first triple hundred.

On as many as seven occasions, his knocks have gone in vain, while in two Tests he has landed up on the losing side even after playing a mammoth innings.

His first 150-plus knock came in Australia at Melbourne in 2003-04 when despite his 195 India lost the Test.

This was followed by his record 309, when he became the first Indian to score a triple hundred against Pakistan in Multan.

After that three successive big innings came in drawn matches - 155 vs Australia, Chennai (2004-05), 164 vs South Africa, Kanpur (2004-05) and 173 vs Pakistan, Mohali (2004-05).

In the same series against Pakistan, his 201 at Bangalore came in a losing cause.

The subsequent four hundreds, one of which was a double and the other a triple, also came in drawn Tests.

He smashed 254 against pakistan in Lahore in 2005-06, followed that up a 180 against West Indies in Gros Islet in 2006 and smacked 151 against Australia in Adelaide in 2007-08. Then against the visiting South Africans, he hit a smoking 319 off 304 balls at Chennai this March, setting the record for the fastest triple hundred in the process.

This morning at Galle he hit 201 not out and with the second Test against Sri Lanka tantasingly poised on day two, it's too early to say in which cause this innings will go.

This was his fifth double hundred and he is now the second Indian batsman to post five double centuries in Test cricket. Rahul Dravid was the first to accomplish the feat.

Quite naturally, Sehwag is also the Indian opener to have five 200-plus innings. Only Sri Lanka's Marvan Atapattu (six) has recorded more double centuries as an opener in Test Cricket.