Though the Group B match looked dead and buried as India's batsmen marched off the field with a whopping 370 runs on the board for just four wickets, tournament co-host Bangladesh put up a determined fight before finishing on 283-9.
It was an ideal start to the 14-nation tournament in which good batting wickets and home support are expected to play a big part in the outcome.
Sri Lanka, the third of the co-hosts, starts today against Canada, while defending champion Australia, looking for a fourth consecutive crown, England, South Africa and Pakistan will begin their campaigns with high hopes next week.
The one certainty is that all of those pre-tournament favourites will have watched India lay down an early marker with its hard-hitting victory at Mirpur Stadium.
Sehwag's career-best ODI score, studded with 14 fours and five sixes, and off just 140 balls, was a ruthless affair which started with him lashing the very first ball of the 2011 World Cup to the boundary.
For the hapless Bangladeshi bowlers, things went pretty well downhill from there.
Virat made a polished 100 not out and Gautam Gambhir chipped in with a useful 39, while the world's highest scoring batsman Sachin Tendulkar was looking comfortable on 28 before a schoolboy error left him horribly run out.
Having clipped a delivery from Abdur Razzak toward long-on, Tendulkar raced up to the other end, not expecting Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan to make a fine interception from mid-wicket.
Sehwag was similarly caught ball-watching instead of checking Tendulkar's run, with the result that when Al Hasan threw the ball to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, India's two most feared batsmen were standing rather awkwardly together at the same end.
Embarrassing, for sure. But costly? No way.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men shrugged off the setback and to went on to wreak full revenge on Bangladesh for its shock victory at the 2007 World Cup which bundled India out of the tournament.
Bangladesh's batsmen responded well, with Tamim Iqbal (70) and Al Hasan (55) leading the way, but the odds were stacked against the home side even before Munaf Patel took 4-48.
Though the victory rightly took centre stage, the tournament was also building up nicely off the field as well on Saturday.
Kenya coach Eldine Baptiste has warned the likes of its Group A rivals Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka that the African nation is ready to spring a few upsets at the World Cup.
"Looking at our group, I have no doubt in my mind that we can cause a few upsets," said the former West Indies allrounder.
Kenya is no stranger to causing shocks in the tournament, having beaten West Indies in 1996 and then Sri Lanka in 2003, when it memorably reached the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Australia allrounder Shane Watson was putting the case for the four-time champions and the fact that a few recent disappointments would not take anything away from their skill in tournament cricket.
"In the end it comes down to who can stand up when it counts," Watson said. "In the end it will be the team that is able to cope with the pressure at the really big moments."
