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Vohra's misplaced boot

Plays of the day from the match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians in Mohali

Alagappan Muthu
Alagappan Muthu
21-May-2014
Praveen Kumar got rid of Virender Sehwag with a little assistance from Manan Vohra  •  BCCI

Praveen Kumar got rid of Virender Sehwag with a little assistance from Manan Vohra  •  BCCI

The own goal
Virender Sehwag was in the mood. He drew upon the memory of his 173 against Pakistan in 2005 and offered early indication of his state of mind by belting the first two balls of the match for four and six. Fitting compensation for breaking a four-match streak of peppering the boundary with every first ball he faced. However, the entertainment was cut short in the third over by a misplaced boot from the non-striker. Manan Vohra was nervously trying to evade a nudge down the ground and failed. Praveen Kumar, the bowler, took advantage of the ricochet, jogged a couple of paces and tipped the bails with Sehwag well short of his ground.
The taunt
Kieron Pollard has not been shy of engaging with the opposition. A push down the ground was always going to be a single, especially against the West Indian's arm. Knowing that, he encouraged the batsmen to try and take a second before firing a flat throw at the keeper. Only a bit of bad bounce ensured Aditya Tare could not get behind it. Glenn Maxwell took the invitation this time and collected an extra run, with a little shrug that almost said "well, you offered."
The teamwork
Mumbai Indians' chase was a single-handed affair with Lendl Simmons cutting and slog-sweeping the bowlers to all parts. Ambati Rayudu followed his example in the 11th over and a bad bounce to point made him contemplate his first boundary. However, Glenn Maxwell raced to his left to rein the ball in before it reached the rope. The lingering force from the shot threatened to foil his effort until Shaun Marsh, who had been tracking the ball from third man, offered the necessary assistance. With Marsh's momentum pushing him beyond the boundary, Maxwell took back the baton and hurled the ball back to the keeper.
The bravery that backfired
Vohra has bolstered an already formidable Kings XI batting line-up with some attractive strokeplay. His first six did not require much skill as Pragyan Ojha erred in his length. The batsman rocked back and pummeled the shortish ball over long-on and the trajectory put his team-mates in danger at the dug-out. While most scattered for cover, one reserve player leapt up eagerly to try and catch the ball, but there was too much power on it. If he had hopes of impressing the selectors with his fielding skills, they backfired.

Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo