Dhawan honoured to be on illustrious list

India

Only two people had double centuries in international limited overs cricket until Monday, when Shikhar Dhawan made 248 to become the third, and join his fellow India colleagues Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag on the short list.

Only two people had double centuries in international limited overs cricket until Monday, when Shikhar Dhawan made 248 to become the third, and join his fellow India colleagues Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag on the short list.

Dhawan made the score off 150 balls against South Africa A, as India A won by 39 runs, and he had the chance to become the first person to score a first class triple ton in limited-overs formats. He was out with 34 balls to go in the innings, and fell 20 runs short of the overall record (268 by Alistair Brown).

Dhawan told <i>bcci.tv</i>: "I was aware of the record and it felt really special to score these runs. When I got out in the 44th over it occurred to me that if I had batted till the end I had a chance to score a triple hundred. I am happy with what I scored though."

Tendulkar's 200 not out and Sehwag's 219 both came in One Day Internationals, and Dhawan said that while his effort was fun for him, and a great memory, it did not stack up to his veteran team-mates' knocks.

He added: "It did cross my mind that I joined Sachin paaji and Viru paaji in scoring a double-century in a one-day game. However, those were two of the greatest innings in cricket history and they came at the international level. So, they are much bigger than my innings.

"I've always loved watching them bat. But I love my batting as well. So, it's difficult for me to pick one favourite knock of the three. This will remain one of my favourite matches because I scored 200 for the first time in a 50-over game.

"Unfortunately it didn't come live on television but that's fine because I loved batting."

Dhawan shot to fame earlier this year when he scored the fastest Test century, against Australia on debut, and his mindset against the Proteas' second-string was similar in that he was aggressive while still thinking clearly.

Dhawan said: "I had scored 85 in the previous match and I wanted to score a big hundred for the team because our batsmen were all getting out in the 80s and 90s. A big century was necessary for giving a good total to the team.

"Once I crossed 100, I was in a different flow. I thought I made a smart choice of shots and things went my way.

"I especially enjoyed it as it came against a South African side in their own backyard. They are very tough to play at home and they play good quality cricket."

The knock will give Dhawan, and India, a lot of confidence ahead of the tour to South Africa at the end of the year, where three Tests and a number of limited-overs matches will be played.

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