This is different Virat, one who has made more mistakes in one season than his entire career: Sehwag
New Delhi(PTI): Virat Kohli has made "more mistakes in one IPL season" than he has in his entire 14-year international career, feels Virender Sehwag, who is seeing "different version" of the former India captain than what one is normally used to.
Kohli, who hasn't scored an international hundred for more than two-and-half years, is enduring his worst slump, having scored 341 runs in 16 IPL games at a below-par average of 22.73 and two half-centuries. In fact, he opened the innings in most games.
"This is not the Virat Kohli that we know. This is a different Virat Kohli playing this season. Otherwise the number of mistakes that he has committed this season, he hasn't done it in his entire career," Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
Sehwag, one of India's greatest match-winners during his prime, however empathised with Kohli as he feels that India's No.1 batter has got out in all possible manners in his desperate bid to try out different tactics.
"It can happen when you are not scoring runs. You try looking at various options to get out of bad patch and that leads you to getting dismissed in various ways. This season, Kohli has been out in all possible ways that one can think of," the man with 17,000 plus international runs across formats, added.
In the second qualifier, Kohli chased a fast, rising delivery from pacer Prasidh Krishna, which was wide outside the off-stump, giving a simple catch to Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson behind the stumps.
"When you are out of form, then you have tendency of trying to middle each and every delivery. A batter thinks, if I can middle the ball, I will gain more confidence.
"However Virat did leave a lot of deliveries in that first over (from Trent Boult) but this is what happens when you are out of form. You tend to chase the deliveries wide outside the off-stump. You start following each of them. So when you have luck going your way, even in bad form, you will not edge it but here this didn't happen," the former opener explained.
What did catch Sehwag's attention was his indecisive poke at the delivery.
"The delivery that he got out to -- it had pace and bounce. So he could have either left it or may be just go hard at it. Who knows, it might have flown over keeper's head but what he did was give simple catch practice. It was as if he was giving catching practice like we do for the slip fielders during net session," he analysed.
Sehwag didn't mince words when he said that Kohli did disappoint his millions of fans as one expects stars to own the big stage.
"He has certainly disappointed everyone. We all expect that in a big game, the big player will perform, he disappointed not only himself but also his legion of fans and the RCB fans," Sehwag added.
In fact, former keeper Parthiv Patel raised a pertinent point about Kohli not having the cut shot in his repertoire, which at times comes in handy during lean patches.
"On a bouncy track, one needs to play the cut shot. But Virat never plays the cut shot, that's not his technique. So the delivery that got him out, a very similar delivery was also bowled to Rajat Patidar, who slashed hard and it went over fielder's head for four runs," Parthiv said.
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Unruly scenes witnessed in Punjab Assembly
Chandigarh (PTI): The Punjab Assembly on Friday witnessed high drama on Friday after Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira made an allegedly objectionable remark against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during an intense argument over the alleged use of mobile phone in the house by the legislator.
During the one-day special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha here, Mann accused Khaira of using a mobile phone when Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was reading out an official resolution on the revision of wages.
After rising from his seat, the chief minister pointed to the speaker, claiming that Khaira is busy on his mobile phone and urged him to ask the Congress MLA what Sandhwan had said about the resolution.
The speaker then asked Khaira to maintain order in the house and listen to the resolution carefully.
Mann then asked Khaira, "Why don't you go out and then use it (mobile phone)," which led to a strong verbal altercation during which the opposition MLA hurled an accusation against the chief minister. Meanwhile, the speaker appealed for order and insisted that the chair be addressed.
However, both Mann and Khaira continued arguing and could be seen pointing fingers at each other as the proceedings of the house were disrupted.
The AAP MLAs also rose from their seats with Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema condemning Khaira for his conduct and demanded action against him.
Cheema further alleged that Khaira "always tries to disturb the house" as he spoke about his conduct in the assembly.
The incident occurred as an official resolution on the revision of wages was presented at the special session by Labour Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond who said it paid homage to labourers on the International Workers' Day.
"Workers are the axis of construction of the nation, the community, the state and society. Every construction project succeeds only through their blood and sweat," the resolution read.
As per the resolution, "The base rate of minimum wages for the working class in Punjab was last revised in the year 2012. Although the dearness allowance has continued to increase since 2012, there has been no increase in the base rate of minimum wages.
On this sacred occasion of May Day, in this special session of the legislative assembly, this house proposes to revise and increase the minimum wages of labourers and strongly recommends to the government to take a decision regarding the increase of minimum wages for workers, so that the contributions of the workers can be acknowledged." PRK
