Sehwag's incredible 219 augurs well for Indian cricket

Sehwag’s record-breaking 219 (140 balls, 25 fours & 7 sixes) at the packed Holkar Stadium in Gwalior against the hapless West Indies team in the 4^th ODI received accolades from former Indian captain and other cricketing fraternity alike. Virender Sehwag became the highest scorer in the history of one-day cricket with an incredible 219, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's 147-ball 200 against South Africa in Gwalior last year. This stupendous knock augurs well for Team India ahead of the Australian tour later this month.

Here is what they say about Sehwag’s blitzkreig:

Saurav Ganguly, Former Indian Captain

The double hundred will be a big morale booster for him with the tough Australian tour lined up. You will find the bowling attack, conditions different Down Under. This double ton will give him a big confidence for sure ahead of the Australia tour.

This is a great achievement and I congratulate Sehwag for the amazing feat. He has captained the Indian side on and off for a short while and I believe he could make up as a good captain. He is a gambler, a player who loves to take risks. If he keeps getting opportunity as a captain, he will come up with many such milestones.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Chairman of selectors

I am very happy for Sehwag. He is one of the greatest players I have ever seen. He missed his double century (175) during the World Cup game against Bangladesh at Mirpur. But today he has achieved the feat which I would like to describe as incredible.

He is an amazing player and it's very important that Sehwag touches the peak form by the time India leave for Australia.

The greatest thing about Sehwag is that he is an honest person. He was blaming the openers for not getting enough runs on the board during this ongoing series. The top-order included himself also and he did not mince word before criticising himself. So he is a very straight-forward kind of a person.

Sehwag has matured as a player and his coming back to form is a good sign for Indian cricket.

Abdul Qadir, Former Pakistan Leg Spinner

I have always remained a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar and when he scored the double hundred against South Africa, one name that crossed my mind was Sehwag. In my view, other player who could have scored double ton was Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya because he also plays an attacking brand of cricket.

Both Sehwag and Jayasuriya have the talent and ability to score a double hundred and can only touch the mark. I would like to extend my congratulations to all Indians for Sehwag scoring a double hundred.

AN Sharma, Sehwag's childhood coach

It was long overdue. I always used to tell him whenever he stepped on the field that this time you have to score a double hundred. It was very satisfying finally watching Viru score 200 runs with such strokeful display. He has always played attacking game and that helped him achieve the milestone.

I hope Viru will be back to his usual self after this inning. My congratulations to him.

Abbas Ali Baig, Former Indian cricketer

Once Sehwag gets going, it's very difficult to stop him. I am delighted and congratulations to him.

Yuvraj Singh, Team-mate

I say it again! I never saw sir Viv (Vivian Richards) bat but I have seen Sehwag bat! What a player... 219 in a one day game is next to impossible.

Zaheer Khan, Team-mate

"Cheers! Congratulations!! Way to go buddy!"

Chris Gayle, West Indies' opener

Well, I did watch some of that innings by Viru.... Brilliant striking!! Congrats on ur 219. That's child abuse! The Mask would say, Smoking!

Kevin Pietersen, England cricketer

If you are a cricket fan, pls switch your tv's on right now & watch a genius bat.. Sehwag destroying the WI.. World record coming.

Dinesh Karthik, Indian player

It's a great effort. Once he got a triple hundred (in Tests) it was just a matter of time for him to bring up this one. I am a big fan of him. The fact that he can even dispatch good balls to boundaries makes him so different.

Murali Vijay, Indian player

I was just watching it. I am so happy for him. It's unbelievable. He is such a great batsman. He batted like himself.

Kiran More, Former chief selector

One of the greatest cricketers India ever had. He is one of the biggest destroyers of spin bowling. Be it Test, one-day or T20, he bats with equal flair. If you see the records, Indian Test cricket have improved tremendously in last 10 years and Viru is a key factor.

The results are showing. He will be a vital cog in the Indian wheel in their upcoming tour Down Under. He has done well in difficult conditions and on various types of pitches. We can't compare Sachin with Sehwag. When he came, he tried to copy Sachin. But Sehwag has played very freely since then.

Mahesh Bhupathi, Indian tennis player

Holy cow is all I am gonna say about that innings. Amazing stuff by Viru. As Johnny Mac would say "you can't be serious.

Sania Mirza, Indian tennis player

What an achievement. What a player. Hats off to Sehwag.

Akshay Kumar, Bollywood actor

Congrats Viru for that incredible 219 which was an epic inning! What timing and energy, indeed SehWhacked. Respect..

Sundar Raman, IPL CEO

If one did not see Viru's innings could easily mistake the scorecard for a game of book cricket!