#2 122 vs Chennai Super Kings, 2014
The Sehwag in 2014 was a far cry from the Sehwag in 2003. The footwork was still non-existent, but the hands had slowed down a bit. The uppercuts had reduced, and the booming drives were seldom seen. A pair of spectacles adorned his face, and there whispers of his fading form.
He had had an extremely low-key IPL till the encounter against CSK, with no display of his free-flowing style. Kings XI had found several match-winners in their team, and they had dominated the group stages throughout. After losing the first Qualifier against KKR, they were set to face former champions CSK in the second qualifier, where a win would give them a place in the final.
The stage was set, and it was a crucial game. CSK won the toss and put Punjab into bat, and Sehwag took strike. He took off in the very first over, slapping Nehra over cover. Mohit Sharma got the same treatment the next over as well.
Sehwag didn’t seem to show any sign of ‘old age’. Any question marks regarding luck were quickly dispatched in the next over, as Ishwar Pandey was hit for consecutive boundaries. Nehra came back and went for three more boundaries, and the first six was hit off Mohit Sharma. Spin was introduced, and Ashwin’s very first ball went straight back over his head.
Sehwag’s atrocious batting was taking a toll of MS Dhoni’s cool profile, and he started to switch bowlers every over, trying to trip the batsman up. But Sehwag was having none of it and reached his half-century off just 21 balls. Nehra was brought back again, and his first two balls disappeared over long-on.
Sehwag was unstoppable, and CSK were watching a masterful innings. Nobody was spared, and Sehwag took them all apart without mercy. His century came in 49 balls, and it was one of the most memorable innings in IPL history. There was more to come, as he hit Jadeja for 16 runs in three balls, before holing out to Nehra.
CSK were stunned into silence and the crowd went wild. Kings XI went on to win the match by 24 runs, and Sehwag ensured that no one would ever call him ‘old’
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