Sehwaag smashed 1000 four in International ODI

Dambula. Indian cricket team's explosive opener Virender Sehwag became the world's seventh cricketer to hit 1000 boundaries in international one-day matches. Sehwag got 13th century of his career in which he also hit 16 fours and a six.

Playing 227 th match of his career against New Zealand in the tri-series, Sehwag hit three consecutive fours on Kyle Mills balls. He is the seventh batsman to do so. Most fours in one-day cricket record of putting India's Sachin Tendulkar's name. 442 matches, Tendulkar is now 1927 boundaries. Sri Lanka's veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya is the second highest in the order. Jayasuriya 1500 boundaries are the names of 444 matches. Jayasuriya's 270 sixes most are planted. Hitting 200 in the case of applying the cross is the only batsman.

In the list of batsmen with over 1000 figure fours Australian captain Ricky Ponting [1164] Thirdly, the Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist East [1162] Fourth, the Indian team's former captain Sourav Ganguly [1122] The fifth and former West Indies captain Brian Lara [1035] is ranked sixth.

Randiv no-ball was not a coincidence - Sehwag

India's comfortable victory over Sri Lanka has been soured by a controversy over Suraj Randiv's massive no-ball, which proved to be the winning run and left Virender Sehwag stranded on 99, though the batsman slammed it over long-off for a six. Sehwag celebrated what would have been century No. 13, only to be told later the six didn't count. After the match, he said Randiv had bowled the no-ball deliberately, and that the move "has no place in good cricket".

"Yes, it was done deliberately," Sehwag said, shedding the blase attitude with which he had reacted to the incident immediately after the match. "Because [of the size of the no-ball] ... that much from the crease. Till now in Test matches he hasn't bowled a no-ball [Randiv bowled two at the P Sara Oval], he hasn't bowled no-balls in one-day cricket, on 99 only why did he bowl a no-ball? And not a small no-ball, not a small margin, from one foot ahead."

Sehwag cracked 11 fours and two sixes as India overhauled Sri Lanka's modest total of 170 in the 35th over to earn themselves a bonus point. India suffered an embarrassing 200-run defeat by New Zealand in their opening match last week.

Sehwag hit Suraj Randiv for a six with the final delivery of the match but was denied a century after the umpire a signalled no-ball. India lost their way chasing Sri Lanka's total and slumped to 91-4 before captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23 not out) helped Sehwag add 80 off 79 balls in an unbroken fifth wicket partnership to steer them to victory.

Sri Lanka were outplayed by a good all-round performance by India who kept the pressure on the hosts throughout their innings after Praveen Kumar bowled Upul Tharanga first ball.

Only Tillakaratne Dilshan (45) and Randiv (43) made any impression against India's disciplined bowling and fielding.

Sri Lanka next play New Zealand on Thursday.

Suresh Raina scores century on Test match debut

Suresh Raina became the ninth Indian cricketer to score a century in his first Test innings when his completed his hundred on the fourth day of the second Test match between India and Sri Lanka at the SSC in Colombo. 

Raina had come into bat at the number six position for India when the side was struggling at 241/4 in reply to the mammoth total of 642 that the Sri Lankan side had got. At that stage, a follow-on looked a virtual certainty, but along with the maestro Sachin Tendulkar, the pair took the side out of trouble.

When Raina got to his maiden century, the pair had added 201 runs and were only 200 runs short of the target.

Raina joins greats like W G Grace, Lala Amarnath, Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge, Gundappa Vishwanath, Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly in the list of batsmen who have scored centuries on Test debut. The century will also help Raina get over a forgettable series as captain of a young Indian side in the recent tri-series in Zimbabwe.

He also became the 59th batsman in the world to score a century in the first innings of the debut Test match.