Captain Graeme Smith, having tried everything in the morning itself, would have gone to lunch hoping the break would bring some new ideas. But the next session offered little respite. Though the first wicket did fall, Wasim Jaffer playing a lazy shot against Harris to be caught at slip for 73, Sehwag turned an even more aggressive leaf — scoring 108 off 67 as 138 runs were scored between lunch and tea.

“We tried everything, bowled wide, negative, over the wicket, around the wicket. Nothing seemed to help. We were beaten by a champion today,” Arthur said.

His double century was the third-fastest in history, his fourth overall and first against an opponent other than Pakistan. The heat and humidity started taking its toll in the final session and, even when he had slowed down, it took only 53 balls to go from 250 to 300.

When stumps were drawn, a number of quirks hung in the air. It had been exactly four years ago, to the day, that Sehwag scored 309 in the first Test against Pakistan in Multan. In the total of 292 balls he had faced, only one delivery outside the off-stump had not connected with his bat. When he walks out on Saturday, there’s little doubt Lara’s world record of 400 not out will be under threat.