Sehwag's burst off the blocks
Plays of the day from the game between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders
Rachna Shetty
11-May-2014
Virender Sehwag smacked four fours off Jacques Kallis in the first over of the game • BCCI
The start
Playing a match when the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees is never easy, but despite the heat Jacques Kallis had a few problems warming up. Coming on to bowl the first over, he offered a gift to Virender Sehwag - a full, slightly wide ball that was duly flayed over cover's head. Searching for swing, he overcompensated down the leg side and Sehwag took another three fours. The 17-run over turned out to be the second most expensive opening one this season.
Playing a match when the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees is never easy, but despite the heat Jacques Kallis had a few problems warming up. Coming on to bowl the first over, he offered a gift to Virender Sehwag - a full, slightly wide ball that was duly flayed over cover's head. Searching for swing, he overcompensated down the leg side and Sehwag took another three fours. The 17-run over turned out to be the second most expensive opening one this season.
The effort
He did not have his best day with the ball but Kallis was as good as ever in the field. In the 13th over, fielding on the fine-leg boundary, Kallis sprinted to stop a sweep by David Miller, and in one move, executed a sliding save and tossed the ball to Umesh Yadav.
He did not have his best day with the ball but Kallis was as good as ever in the field. In the 13th over, fielding on the fine-leg boundary, Kallis sprinted to stop a sweep by David Miller, and in one move, executed a sliding save and tossed the ball to Umesh Yadav.
In luck
With three 40-plus scores behind him, Robin Uthappa once again looked in imperious form, smacking Sandeep Sharma for three fours and Mitchell Johnson for 18 runs in successive overs. When spin was introduced in the form of Akshar Patel's slow left-arm, Uthappa played a reverse-sweep straight to point. Two balls later, he tried another reverse sweep. The ball ballooned off his glove and helmet and fell just out of reach of a diving Wriddhiman Saha.
With three 40-plus scores behind him, Robin Uthappa once again looked in imperious form, smacking Sandeep Sharma for three fours and Mitchell Johnson for 18 runs in successive overs. When spin was introduced in the form of Akshar Patel's slow left-arm, Uthappa played a reverse-sweep straight to point. Two balls later, he tried another reverse sweep. The ball ballooned off his glove and helmet and fell just out of reach of a diving Wriddhiman Saha.
Chawla's rewind
In the last match between the two sides in the UAE, Piyush Chawla finished with figures of 3 for 19 in four overs, accounting for the wickets of Virender Sehwag, David Miller and George Bailey. He finished with the same figures in this game, too. Virender Sehwag was bowled by the legspinner for a second time, and he dented the Kings XI innings with the wicket of Glenn Maxwell. His third scalp was Rishi Dhawan. Incidentally, Sehwag was the top-scorer in Abu Dhabi, too, where Kings XI recorded their lowest total batting first in the IPL this year.
In the last match between the two sides in the UAE, Piyush Chawla finished with figures of 3 for 19 in four overs, accounting for the wickets of Virender Sehwag, David Miller and George Bailey. He finished with the same figures in this game, too. Virender Sehwag was bowled by the legspinner for a second time, and he dented the Kings XI innings with the wicket of Glenn Maxwell. His third scalp was Rishi Dhawan. Incidentally, Sehwag was the top-scorer in Abu Dhabi, too, where Kings XI recorded their lowest total batting first in the IPL this year.
The regulation miss
Bailey is not usually sloppy in the field but he had a forgettable moment during the Knight Riders chase. In the 17th over, with Knight Riders needing 15 off 21, a well-set Gautam Gambhir top edged a pull and it came straight to Bailey at midwicket. The Kings XI captain got his hands under the ball, which promptly popped out and landed on the grass. Bailey, who normally has a smile ready for most occasions on a cricket field, wore a slightly sheepish one this time.
Bailey is not usually sloppy in the field but he had a forgettable moment during the Knight Riders chase. In the 17th over, with Knight Riders needing 15 off 21, a well-set Gautam Gambhir top edged a pull and it came straight to Bailey at midwicket. The Kings XI captain got his hands under the ball, which promptly popped out and landed on the grass. Bailey, who normally has a smile ready for most occasions on a cricket field, wore a slightly sheepish one this time.
Rachna Shetty is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo