Chennai: Virender Sehwag blasted an unbeaten 309 in the first Test-match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday against South Africa. Indian team managed to score 468 for the loss of one wicket with Sehwag (309*) and Dravid (65*) unbeaten on the crease at the end of day three of the match. India now trail South Africa by only 72 runs. South Africa scored 540 runs in their first innings.

The third day of the match completely belonged to Nawab of Najafgarh who scored unbeaten 309 (292b, 41x4, 5x6) on a batsman-friendly surface. He bettered Matthew Hayden's 300 off 362 balls against Zimbabwe in Perth in 2003-04. Sehwag’s triple hundred came in just 278 balls. Once he neared 150, Sehwag looked in tremendous hurry. Even after he reached the score of 200, there was no relief for the Africans and the batsman took just 31 more balls to complete his 250. There was no signs of nervousness even when he was nearing his 300. At 291, he scored a mighty six against Harris. The question now arises whether Virender Sehwag will reach the world record of 400-run mark? However, the first run that Sehwag scores on Saturday will create a new record.

Resuming on 82 for no loss this morning, India lost the only wicket of Wasim Jaffar who scored 73 runs of 166 balls before giving his wicket to spinner Harris. The opening pair added 213 runs for the first wicket.

Records kept falling by the wayside and Sehwag went on to post the highest individual score at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Some of them are:-

* Sehwag became the first Indian batsman to post a double hundred against South Africa, bettering Sachin Tendulkar's 169 at Cape Town in 1996-97.
*Sehwag triple century off 278 balls is now the fastest in terms of balls faced in Test Cricket, surpassing Australia's Matthew Hayden's 362-ball triple hundred (380 vs. Zimbabwe at Perth in 2003-04).
* Sehwag is now the first Indian opener to post four innings of 200-plus, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar's feat of three double hundreds.
* Sehwag became the fourth Indian player to post four innings of 200-plus, joining Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. Dravid holds the record for registering 5 double hundreds. His previous three double hundreds were made against Pakistan.
* Sehwag's outstanding innings is now the highest by any batsman on Indian soil, eclipsing VVS Laxman's 281 against Australia in Kolkata in 2000-01.
* His tally of 257 runs in a day's play is the best by an Indian batsman, beating his own record of 228 against Pakistan at Multan in 2003-04 and the fifth best in Test Cricket.