KOCHI, India, (Reuters) – Virender Sehwag struck a 47-ball 80 on a difficult pitch to power Delhi Daredevils to a 38-run victory against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the Indian Premier League yesterday.
The Delhi captain batted with lot of responsibility after Shanthakumaran Sreesanth picked up two wickets in the second over with deliveries that kept alarmingly low.
The dashing India opener cut loose later on and hit eight fours and five sixes to boost the Daredevils to a challenging 157 for seven.
Sehwag scored 31 runs off the first 32 balls he faced and smashed 49 off the next 14 deliveries before he got out.
South African paceman Morne Morkel (3-18) and his compatriot left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe (3-20) snubbed out the Kochi Tuskers’ chase as they were all out for 119 in 18.5 overs.
In yesterday’s other match, Kolkata Knight Riders restricted Kings XI Punjab to 119 for six after putting them in to bat first and chased down the target with eight wickets and 16 balls to spare.
The Punjab side, led by former Australia wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist, struggled for momentum from the onset as the Knight Riders bowled and fielded brilliantly.
Captain Gautam Gambhir (45) and Manoj Tiwary (34) knocked off the runs with an unbroken partnership off 85 runs for the third wicket.
The Knight Riders moved to the top of the table with their fifth win in eight matches in the tournament.
