Top 10 most brutal innings in Test cricket

2. Virender Sehwag (293 vs Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka in India 2009)

Sri Lanka would have felt their hold on the match having posted 393 on the board in their first innings. But they did not know that they would soon be subject to a Sehwag storm that would render them completely helpless. India posted 726 in their reply, which starred huge innings from Sehwag (that came off just 254 balls) and Dhoni who scored a 100 not out. India won the game by an innings and 24 runs.

Sehwag was man of the match as well as the man of the series. He hit a total of 40 fours and 7 sixes in a single day. He took the attack to the spinners, scoring at a 100-plus strike rate against both Herath and wily customer Muralitharan. Sri Lanka tried different field placing, bowlers changed ends and varied their deliveries- but nothing worked. Viru was seeing the ball like a football and finding gaps at will. He was dismissed the next day at 293 after a delightful innings that had done the damage to the Sri Lankan attack and which was eventually responsible for their downfall.