Virender Sehwag became the third fastest Indian to reach 6,000 Test runs yesterday, as the right-hand opener smashed a scintillating 284 not out on the second day of the third Test against Sri Lanka.
Having bowled out the visitors, who won the toss and elected to bat, for 393, India quickly put the tourists' pedestrian attack to the sword at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the venue's first Test in 36 years.
Sri Lanka must win the final Test to draw the series. But after labouring to near the 400-mark safety mark, Kumar Sangakkara's side saw their decent total reeled in for a single wicket as India turned the screw and finished the day's play on 443 for one.
Murali Vijay, playing only his second Test in the absence of regular opener Gautam Gambhir, was Sri Lanka's only scalp.
The 24-year-old right hander, who made 87, was bowled lbw by Rangana Herath after lunch. The visitors' frail bowling attack was ripped apart by the ruthless Sehwag, who hammered an unbeaten 284 - Test cricket's third-highest individual score in one day's play - as India put themselves in a perfect position to seal the best-of-three 2-0.
"I thought I would bide my time, see off the new ball and then take my chances," said Sehwag. "I missed out on a double century in the last Test in Kanpur and I wanted to make amends. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out and I batted the best way I thought was possible.
"I was cautious at the start because I did not want to give the opposition any chances as I had done in the two previous matches."
Sehwag's swashbuckling double century, which leaves him just 16 runs away from being the first player to hit three triple centuries in Test cricket, has left Sri Lanka with a mountain to climb.
The visitors had got off to the worst possible start, losing batsman Angelo Mathews for 99, and were bowled out completely within 27 minutes of play resuming in the morning. Mathews had required only 14 runs for a maiden Test century. He started well, edging Shanthakumaran Sreesanth for a boundary early on, the ball falling just short of VVS Laxman at second slip.
Minutes later, he was run out in his eargerness to reach a century. He cut a short ball to deep square-leg and, trying for a second, failed to beat Sachin Tendulkar's accurate throw to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni.
Replays showed that while the toe end of Mathews' bat was just over the line, it was in the air when the bails were removed.
Mathews's overnight partner, veteran spin specialist Muttiah Muralitharan, who later endured a nightmare with the ball as Sehwag mercilessly smashed him around the stadium, was undefeated on four at the end of Sri Lanka's innings.
Chanaka Welegedara was the last man dismissed, falling lbw to Pragyan Ojha, who finished with three for 101, from 23.4 overs.
Then the day belonged to Sehwag and Vijay. The opening duo quickly put on 221 for the first wicket before the latter fell to Herath, who trapped Viraj in front as he attempted a sweep.
"It was an amazing innings [by Sehwag] and it was great watching from the other end," said Vijay. "With him around, you really don't have to bother about the scoring rate."
Rahul Dravid, who replaced Vijay at the crease, certainly did.
The veteran batsman smacked Muralitharan for consecutive boundaries on either side of the wicket early in his innings, and provided admirable support for Sehwag as the hosts zoned in on the Sri Lankans target.
Sehwag's unbelievable flurry of fours and sixes, achieved in spite of a back injury suffered just before the tea break, brought it ever closer and, once passed, neither Indian batsman relented.
It took India less than three sessions to overhaul Sri Lanka's total, scoring more than 400 runs in a day for the second time in as many Tests.
@Email:emegson@thenational.ae
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Henrik Stenson's finishes at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:
2006 - 2
2007 - 8
2008 - 2
2009 - MC
2010 - 21
2011 - 42
2012 - MC
2013 - 23
2014 - MC
2015 - MC
2016 - 3
2017 - 8
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Ireland (15-1):
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
On racial profiling at airports
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