A Test that everyone thought would perish to insufferable conditions could only have been brought to life by an innings as brutal as the world witnessed on Friday. Virender Sehwag, who used his bat like a Hattori Hanzo blade, achieved two objectives: his second triple century took him where only Don Bradman and Brian Lara have gone before, and he single-handedly changed the course of this game.In South African coach Mickey Arthur’s words: “His innings pushed the game forward from the situation it was in. His quick scoring will provide a result.” Sehwag was unbeaten on 309 at stumps, taking India to 468 for one in reply to the Proteas’ first innings 540. He has faced 292 balls, slammed 42 fours and five sixes. In the process, a flat-track match that had been written off as a boring draw has tilted slightly towards India.Pacemen Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel bowled 55 overs between them on Friday and went for 234 runs before the bails were removed. If that wasn’t bad enough, Paul Harris — who the visitors had tagged as their primary spin hope for the series — went for 141 from his 36 overs as India finished the third day on 468 for one in reply to the visitors’ 540.Spectators had flocked the stadium hoping Sachin Tendulkar would step out at any moment, but they weren’t too disappointed even as he did not make an appearance. Overnight 52, Sehwag began with the trademark slash off Steyn in the first over of the day and missed nary a scoring opportunity through the first session. “Usually he scores very unconventionally. Today, he was simply amazing with his technique,” Arthur said later. But it wasn’t that Sehwag was being watchful outside the off-stump; he still reached out for everything. The difference was that he connected every time with immaculate timing.Captain Graeme Smith, having tried everything in the morning itself, would have gone to lunch hoping the break would bring some new ideas. But the next session offered little respite. Though the first wicket did fall, Wasim Jaffer playing a lazy shot against Harris to be caught at slip for 73, Sehwag turned an even more aggressive leaf — scoring 108 off 67 as 138 runs were scored between lunch and tea. “We tried everything, bowled wide, negative, over the wicket, around the wicket. Nothing seemed to help. We were beaten by a champion today,” Arthur said. His double century was the third-fastest in history, his fourth overall and first against an opponent other than Pakistan. The heat and humidity started taking its toll in the final session and, even when he had slowed down, it took only 53 balls to go from 250 to 300.When stumps were drawn, a number of quirks hung in the air. It had been exactly four years ago, to the day, that Sehwag scored 309 in the first Test against Pakistan in Multan. In the total of 292 balls he had faced, only one delivery outside the off-stump had not connected with his bat. When he walks out on Saturday, there’s little doubt Lara’s world record of 400 not out will be under threat.
