I Got So Many Messages Asking How Could I Play A Maiden Over – Virender Sehwag On Facing Lasith Malinga

Former Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) captain Virender Sehwag recalled playing a maiden over in the IPL against Lasith Malinga.

Sehwag was an explosive attacking batter who would take on the bowlers from the first ball of the innings and maximise the field restrictions (powerplay overs).

Sehwag scored 2728 IPL runs in 104 matches at an average of 27.56 with the help of 16 fifties and a couple of hundreds. He played 79 matches for the Delhi outfit and still remains their second most-run scorer with 2382 runs behind current skipper Rishabh Pant.

Virender Sehwag played a maiden over against Lasith Malinga in IPL 2011

In the match between Daredevils and Mumbai Indians in IPL 2011, Sehwag won the toss and elected to bat first.

Malinga, who is the highest wicket-taker for MI in IPL, bowled the second over of the innings and rattled the stumps of David Warner and Unmukt Chand.

Sehwag dabbed one past the slip region to find a boundary off Malinga on the final ball of the over. In the next over, Sehwag showed utmost respect to the Sri Lankan pacer by not scoring a single run.

Sehwag was run out by Sachin Tendulkar on 19 in that game as Delhi Capitals were bowled out for 95 in 17.4 overs and Malinga finished with 5/13 to register the best figures in IPL.

I had to play Lasith Malinga out: Virender Sehwag 

Mumbai Indians eventually won by eight wickets with more than three overs to spare. 11 years after that match, Sehwag tripped down the memory lane and spoke about the reaction of the cricket fraternity on his battle with Malinga.

“I once played a maiden over in the IPL. In evening, I got so many messages asking, ‘How on earth did you do it? That too, in T20 cricket!” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

“I played that maiden over against Malinga. And I did that because Malinga had taken 3-4 wickets and it was the last over (fourth over) of the Powerplay.

“I thought if I didn’t have the strike, Malinga would probably take another wicket. So, I had to play him out. I remember my friends and media persons messaging me asking how could I play a maiden over!”

“I tried to hit him in the first three balls, but they went straight towards the fielders. So, in the rest of three deliveries, I just tried to play him out,” he added.

Sehwag led Delhi in 52 IPL matches and was with the franchise for six years (2008-13) before he moved to Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

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