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Randiv did it deliberately: Sehwag

Last updated on: August 17, 2010 09:02 IST

In a highly unsporting and disgraceful conduct, Sri Lanka on Monday night prevented Indian swashbuckler Virender Sehwag a century in the tri-series match which invited a scathing reaction from former cricketers.

Needing one run for victory, Sehwag was stranded on 99 when Randiv, who had not bowled a single no-ball in the series overstepped by a huge margin to bring about India's wicket victory.

- Images from the match

Although the dashing opener hit a six off that ball, it was not counted as it was declared a no ball.

The incident at the very fag end of the match created some sort of bad blood between the two teams with Sehwag lashing out at the opponents saying they had similar thing to Sachin Tebdulkar in the past.

India needed five runs for the win when Randiv came to bowl. India got four byes off the first ball and scores were level.

Sehwag played shots in the next two balls but could not get the gap. Randiv then bowled a big no-ball which Sehwag hit for a six. India won the match by six wickets while chasing 171.

The normally unflappable Sehwag said he was not interested in whipping up a controversy on this incident but said the Lankans have done such a thing with Tendulkar earlier.

"This is not a controversy. They have done that. No team want anybody to score 100 against them and they did that. They were happy and we are happy. We won the game and the bonus point," Sehwag said.

Sri Lankan captain Kumara Sangakkara appeared to take the episode lightly but later on said he would talk to Randiv. 

"He is not that kind of a cricketer. If some members of the team have coaxed him I will take it up strongly," he said. 

"This is not the spirit of cricket," he acknowledged. Former India Captain Sourav Ganguly speaking to a TV channel said that this was not the first time Sri Lanka had done such a thing. 

They had done the same to him in a Test match at Kandy in 2002 where he was left stranded on 98, he said.

"That happens in Cricket. Bowlers try to do that when batsmen are on 99. They try to bowl wides or no balls. They do not want cricketers to score century. But that is fair enough," Sehwag said. 

"I think he(Randiv) has done it deliberately," he added.

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