Virender Sehwag was an enigma on the cricket field during his playing days for the Indian cricket team.
Making his debut for India in ODI against Pakistan in 1999, Sehwag quickly went on to become an integral part of the Indian ODI and Test teams in the years to come. He played a significant role in many of India’s victories across formats, both home and away.
Sehwag used to give India blistering starts, and that is one of the reasons why India became a force to be reckoned with in all format of the game, particularly while playing in the subcontinent.
He more often gave India a flying start, which enabled other batters to take their own time and play a big knock. This template worked for India in the mid-to-late 2000s and the early part of the 2010s.
Overall, he was a complete match-winner on his day and when he was in the mood, Sehwag made sure to take the game away from the opposition.
This article will dwell deep into each of Sehwag’s 15 ODI centuries.
Virender Sehwag ODI Centuries List
| Century No | Score | Balls | 4s/6s | Opponent | Inns | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 70 | 19/1 | v New Zealand | 2 | Colombo (SSC) | 2001 |
| 2 | 126 | 104 | 21/1 | v England | 2 | Colombo (RPS) | 2002 |
| 3 | 114* | 82 | 17/2 | v West Indies | 2 | Rajkot | 2002 |
| 4 | 108 | 119 | 9/2 | v New Zealand | 2 | Napier | 2002 |
| 5 | 112 | 139 | 11/3 | v New Zealand | 2 | Auckland | 2003 |
| 6 | 130 | 134 | 15/2 | v New Zealand | 1 | Hyderabad (Deccan) | 2003 |
| 7 | 108 | 95 | 9/3 | v Pakistan | 1 | Kochi | 2005 |
| 8 | 114 | 87 | 17/3 | v Bermuda | 1 | Port of Spain | 2007 |
| 9 | 119 | 95 | 12/5 | v Pakistan | 2 | Karachi | 2008 |
| 10 | 116 | 90 | 17/0 | v Sri Lanka | 1 | Colombo (RPS) | 2009 |
| 11 | 125* | 74 | 14/6 | v New Zealand | 2 | Hamilton | 2009 |
| 12 | 146 | 102 | 17/6 | v Sri Lanka | 1 | Rajkot | 2009 |
| 13 | 110 | 93 | 16/1 | v New Zealand | 1 | Dambulla | 2010 |
| 14 | 175 | 140 | 14/5 | v Bangladesh | 1 | Mirpur | 2011 |
| 15 | 219 | 149 | 25/7 | v West Indies | 1 | Indore | 2011 |
Key insights from the above stats
219: Virender Sehwag became only the second Indian batter to score an ODI double century (the first being Sachin Tendulkar) and this remains the highest ever by a captain in ODIs.
6: One-third of his ODI centuries came against New Zealand, and the Kiwis seem to be his favourite opponent in coloured clothing. 3 of those centuries came in New Zealand.
2: Sehwag has 2 world cup centuries, one in 2007 against Bermuda and the other in 2011 versus Bangladesh. The latter was also the year India won the World Cup.
2: Sehwag was as prolific against both Sri Lanka and Pakistan in ODIs as he was in Tests, hitting 2 centuries each.
Sehwag was known to be an aggressive player, and it is evident from the fact that most of his scores have been over with a strike rate of 100, and his career strike rate in 245 ODI innings is just under 105.
Virender Sehwag did play 19 T20Is for India but didn’t score a single century in the format for the country. But he played a role in India winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007.
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