Feature

A hint of the vintage Sehwag

The Plays of the day from the CLT20 match between Kings XI Punjab and Northern Knights, in Mohali

Easy as you like: Anton Devcich leaps to take a difficult chance at the boundary  •  BCCI

Easy as you like: Anton Devcich leaps to take a difficult chance at the boundary  •  BCCI

Six of the best
When he was waylaying bowling attacks in his pomp, Virender Sehwag played the upper cut as well as any other batsman in the world. Even as age catches up with the 35-year-old, he still showed sparks of his genius during his 52. One such moment was in the fourth over, when he hit the most effortless of sixes; he spotted a short and wide ball from Scott Kuggeleijn, bent his knees to get under it and gently coaxed the ball not just over slip but also the leaping Tim Southee at third man.
The drop
Glenn Maxwell may have only been with Kings XI Punjab for one IPL season so far, but he has firmly established himself as a crowd favourite in Mohali. With Kings XI already sprinting at more than 10 an over, the fans were already at full volume when he walked in during the 12th over. In the next one, he top edged a shot and sent the ball high and towards the wicketkeeper. BJ Watling had plenty of time to pedal back and get under it, he did pedal back but a step too far and he had to lunge forward to try pouch what should have been a regulation catch. The ball slipped through his gloves, and he was left distraught, unlike the Mohali faithful.
The catch
If dropped catches have been a familiar sight in the CLT20, acrobatic takes at the boundary have also been a common occurrence. In the 19th over, George Bailey slammed the ball towards the long-off boundary, only for Anton Devcich to snag the ball overhead with his fingertips. Devcich was inches from the rope, and was set to go over, so he nonchalantly tossed the ball up, went over and came back to complete the catch. Just a few years ago, these sort of catches were unheard of, much less attempted. Now, it is a disappointment if the fielder doesn't complete them.
The run-out
Northern Knights were in disarray by the midway stage of their chase. Things became even more bleak after a moment of brilliance from Maxwell. Watling pushed the ball towards cover, and the non-striker Scott Styris was racing for a single. Watling was hesitant, Styris had to turn back. In that time, Maxwell had sprung on to the ball, swivelled and lasered in a throw at the base of the off stump at the non-strikers' end. They called for the third umpire, but Styris was so far out that he didn't wait for the replay.

Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo