Three things from KXIP vs RR: Sehwag's duck, Anureet's death stare, Samson's value

Rajasthan Royals got their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign off to a bright start beating Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs in a preliminary round match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday. Chasing 163 runs to win, Punjab’s reply never really got going and they only managed to reach 136/8 in their 20 overs. Australia’s World Cup hero James Faulkner was Royals’ star man was well with his innings-pacing knock of 46 runs and then taking 3/26 with the ball. Virender Sehwag’s golden duck: There was no need to wonder why Sehwag was gone off the first ball he faced in IPL 8 — not with the Hindi commentators screaming ‘woh khade khade khelte hain’ again and again as replays showed him get dismissed for the Nth time chasing a delivery outside off, attempting to pierce the covers. For those who wonder why Sehwag never really came back from his slump a few years ago — it’s because he refuses to change his way of batting. Sehwag still bats like he did while getting triple hundreds for India — but the game has changed, the rules have changed and bowlers figured out how to dismiss him ages ago. And perhaps age has changed Sehwag too. If Sehwag is to keep his place in a talented Kings XI side — he has to start performing, because it would be cruel to see one of the world’s most destructive batsmen bow out so meekly. [caption id=“attachment_2192681” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Samson in action against Kings XI. BCCI[/caption] Anureet’s death stare - better than Mitchell Johnson’s? Anureet started the match with an over worth four runs and Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket. His second over went for just two runs before George Bailey kept him out of action to bring back at the death. During that break, Johnson had wreaked havoc and showed figures of 2-14 in three overs. Anureet came back and got punished for the only two bad deliveries (a full delivery outside off and a low full toss) from the 24 that he bowled — as Deepak Hooda smashed him for a four and a six on consecutive balls. On the very next ball, Anureet — sensing Hooda’s habit to shuffle towards the offside — sent in another fuller delivery sliding towards the opposite direction and uprooted the leg stump. What followed was a death stare of a different level. The masters of the death stare in cricket — Virat Kohli and Johnson — would be very proud of that one. And what’s more, Anureet eventually ended with 3-23, and Johnson with 2-34. Guess he just won the day. Samson’s value: Samson may have lost his wicket with a contentious decision — but he made it up with brilliant keeping/fielding behind the stumps. Kings XI owner Preity Zinta was demanding more in the field from her team before the start of the match — but Rajasthan Royals got things right with a perfect day when it came to catching and throwing. Samson first took a fine diving catch in the first ball of Kings XI’s innings to dismiss Sehwag before showing great composure to run out Wriddhiman Saha when he attempted a run off a ball which kissed his boots before sliding down leg side into Samson’s gloves. Another direct hit from a near-similar situation removed Murali Vijay from the equation — Samson’s underhand throw catching him just short of the crease. Bonus point: The catch by Karun Nair after Tim Southee’s flick to him from over the ropes was a delightful piece of fielding — and another example of how much safe hands matter in T20 cricket. Southee knew that the ball was going to cross the ropes, but he kept himself steady and flicked it back to the trailing Nair, who took it one handed and low to his right. Superb, simply superb.