Press Trust of India
Pune, April 15: Part-time off-spinner and Delhi Daredevils skipper JP Duminy (2/16) turned saviour for his team as Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) threatened to take the game away in a match of IPL-VIII at the MCA Stadium here, Wednesday. Duminy picked up the important wickets of Virender Sehwag (47, 4×4, 2×6) and the dangerous David Miller to stifle KXIP who at that stage were threatening to pose a total in excess of over 180.
Sehwag and Wriddhiman Saha (39, 28b, 3×6) till that stage were batting very well in tandem. It was Sehwag at his vintage best as he went after leggie Imran Tahir to start the run flow in the eighth over of the innings. He first hit the bowler for a six over mid-wicket and then played two exquisite late cuts for boundaries. On both occasions Sehwag beat two fielders positioned five yards of one another strategically for the shot.
In the first 10 overs of the KXIP innings, 83 runs came for the loss of one wicket. But in the remaining 10, the DD spinners led by Duminy hit back. The South African was well supported by Amit Mishra (1/34) and Tahir who came back later in the spell to sent back Glenn Maxwell (15, 5b, 2×6).
But more of that later as Sehwag and Saha dominated the early part of the innings. Both were severe on anything shot and promptly punished the loose delivery. Sehwag after flat-batting Duminy for a six in the bowler’s first over fell to the very next delivery. He tried to loft Duminy over long-off but mistimed and was well caught by Nathan Coulter-Nile on the line. Prior to that, Saha who had batted so well, failed to read the ‘wrong-un’ from Mishra and found his stump in disarray.
KXIP skipper George Bailey promoted Maxwell and Miller ahead of him. But the two Ms fell in quick succession. First Maxwell, after smashing Tahir for two sixes in the 16th over, went for another one on the last delivery. He could only slice a quickish leg-break to cover which Manoj Tiwary gobbled up. Then Miller completely missed a faster one from Duminy as he went for the pull and could only hear the rattle of the timber.
George Bailey (19 n o, 11b, 1×4, 1×6) however, batted well in the last couple of overs to take his side past the 160-run mark.
