IPL: Vintage Virender Sehwag Rips Apart Kolkata Knight Riders' Bowling

The enthusiastic crowd at Cuttack witnessed a bespectacled Virender Sehwag turn back the clocks and play in vintage fashion as he laid a solid platform for Kings XI Punjab's innings. (Scorecard | Live Blog)

Sehwag's smashing knock included 11 fours and 1 six as Kolkata bowlers had no answer to his onslaught.

Sehwag, who has been struggling with form in the recent past, took on Kolkata's Jacques Kallis in the first over to score four boundaries off it.

Once the initial jitters were taken care of, Sehwag was in full flow, punishing Kolkata's poor bowling. Sehwag even got a reprieve when wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa failed to hold on to an outside edge that ran away to the third man fence when Sehwag was on 23.

Sehwag made Kolkata pay heavily for their miss as he went on to get his first fifty in this year's IPL -- his 16th overall-- off just 35 balls.

Kolkata bowlers failed to bowl good line and length and he took good advantage of their off day to fetch runs off flicks and cuts with ease.

In a bid to keep the aggression going, Sehwag departed for 72 off 50 balls, playing a delivery from Piyush Chawla onto his stumps.