In unpredictable IPL, Sehwag a run-away hit

Twenty20 cricket may be the game’s most unpredictable format and his all-out aggression fraught with risks, but Virender Sehwag’s imperious form in IPL 5 has made light of them. HT reports. Nawab of IPL 5

Twenty20 cricket may be the game’s most unpredictable format and his all-out aggression fraught with risks, but Virender Sehwag’s imperious form in IPL 5 has made light of them.

Delhi-Daredevils-captain-Virender-Sehwag-directs-the-field-during-the-IPL-Twenty20-cricket-match-against-Rajashtan-Royals-at-the-Sawai-Mansingh-stadium-in-Jaipur-AFP-Sajjad-Hussain

The Delhi Daredevils skipper has put his franchise firmly on top of the points heap with five consecutive fifties, a record in the shortest format of cricket.

The Daredevils are closing in on a playoff berth just past the halfway mark in the lucrative league – a sea change to last year’s bottom-of-the-table finish.

The 33-year-old ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ saw his first fifty end in defeat against Pune on April 21, but his next four pulled off victories.

IPL 5 has been Sehwag’s personal triumph as well. A shoulder injury in last year’s tournament and delayed surgery saw his role curtailed in the disastrous England Test series.

Poor form in Australia and controversy over a rotational policy for openers in the ODI tri-series left fans wondering what had gone wrong.

Sehwag, the master of unorthodox shots, has credited his splendid IPL 5 run to playing with a straight bat. In each of his fifties, he has batted past the 12th over. It’s then no surprise that his team has been a picture of consistency.