IPL 4: Deccan Chargers brush aside Delhi Daredevils

New Delhi: Deccan Chargers earned full two points at Feroz Shah Kotla, brushing aside the lackluster Delhi Daredevils by 16 runs.

It was a good all round performance by the Chargers with Sunil Sohal scoring a half century and later Harmeet Singh pitching-in with 2 wickets. Delhi were never really in the hunt of chasing down 168, losing wickets at regular intervals.

Irfan Pathan (5) departed again, failing to click at the right time, trying for a big one and giving Ojha his first wicket. Irfan has been a shadow of himself all along this IPL and continued his rather dogged form both with the bat and ball.

David Warner had earlier walked to the pavilion leaving Delhi to totter. Warner had been playing sensibly ensuring one end remained intact even though wickets were falling at the other end regularly. But with the ever increasing required run rate, Warner was clearly under pressure and while trying to clear the mid wicket boundary, he failed to get the elevation.

In a bid to up the run rate, in form batsmen Venugopal Rao went for the big one, but was caught at long off by Dan Christian of Amit Mishra giving the advantage back to Deccan Chargers. Rao and David Warner were building up a crucial partnership rotating the strike regularly and blasting away the loose ones. It was the all important wicket that Deccan were after.

Delhi had slumped to 38 for 3 as the big hitting Aaron Finch was caught behind, yielding Harmeet Singh his second wicket of the match. Deccan clawed back into the game after an explosive start by the Daredevils.

Deccan had got their second wicket in the 4th over, when terribly out of form Naman Ojha was trapped LBW off Dan Christian.

In the previous over, Sehwag once again failed to deliver goods as he went back to the pavilion with a score of 12. Dan Christian took a sharp catch at point to dismiss the Delhi Skipper. Sehwag had started off in his usual fashion taking Dan Christian to the cleaners with 3 boundaries with David Warner playing a second fiddle.

In the first half, Deccan Chargers ended up with 168 against Delhi Daredevils at Feroz Shah Kotla. Cameron White who was included in the team, remained unbeaten on 31.

Earlier, Sunny Sohal had finally come good for the Deccan Chargers as he completed his half century before holding out at mid off. Throughout his innings of 62, Sohal took his chances and timed the ball well. He combined with his skipper to lay a solid foundation for the rest of Deccan batsmen to a have a late flourish.

Kumar Sangakkara had miscued one of Askok Dinda to give Delhi their second breakthrough. Sangakkara was in sublime form as he reached 49 in no time. He along with Sunny Sohal maintained a healthy run rate throughout. The Deccan captain hit some exquisite drives on both side of the wicket and was severe on the left arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, plundering 2 boundaries and a huge six over midwicket in his over.

Playing at their home ground Delhi Daredevils were off to a good start as Irfan Pathan clean bowled Shikhar Dhawan, who tried to pull a good length delivery only to play on to his own wicket in the second over of the match with the score on 14.

Dhawan was looking positive right from the onset as he cracked consecutive boundaries of Ashok Dinda, but failed to carry on.

Deccan Chargers skipper Kumar Sangakkara had won the toss and elected to bat first in their Indian Premier League match against Delhi Daredevils.

JP Duminy was left out of the Chargers line-up and Cameron White, who arrived from Dhaka during their last game, was included in the playing eleven. Delhi also made two changes, bringing in Morne Morkel and Yogesh Nagar, in place of Matthew Wade and Umesh Yadav.

(This article was first published in Zeecric.com)
http://cricket.zeenews.com/fullstory.aspx?nid=37766

FIESTA de IPL: DECCAN PLAY LIKE CHAMPS

SETUP

CHENNAI SUPERKINGS: Over the two IPL seasons, Chennai have been the most fearsome outfits, the most persistent team, Dhoni packed in power hitters for the opening match in the form Hayden, Kemp and Morkel. Ravichandran Ashwin got a place alongside Murlidharan.

DECCAN CHARGERS: It had been an ominous start for the defending champs, a win here for Gilchrist was a necessity. He named an unchanged team from the last match. Jaskaran Singh would have felt lucky to retain his position in the team.

Deccan Chargers won the toss and elected to bat

TORRID START

Adam Gilchrist had one plan, to lift his team to grand total, and he targeted the UP lad, Sudeep Tyagi for this, He hammered a full length ball outside off stump to produce the first six of the match, the second one followed a ball later in the same region, Gilly milked 19 of the over. Morkel’s third over yield 14 runs courtesy 2 fours and a 6 by Adam Gilchrist making him the first player to break the 1000 runs barrier in IPL. .Dhoni was forced to use his spinners in the power play and they duly obliged.

SPINNERS REBOUND

Murali conceded only 6 of his first over. Ravichandran Ashwin was geared to bowl the 4^th over and he fired in the first four balls giving away 2 wides and a boundary, Ashwin bowled the 5^th ball slower through the air enticing Gilchrist to come down the track and walaah, ball evaded the blade of the bat crashing into the off stump, a spinners delight, Dhoni’s ploy had worked, The captain of the Chargers back in the hood. The very next ball saw the demise of VVS Laxman courtesy sharp fielding by Suresh Raina. Superkings had recovered the early onset. Balaji and Kemp maintained the pressure created by the spinners, Ashwin in particular stood out through his variable length and diverse balls.

EXPERIENCE COMES IN HANDY

Gibbs and Symonds were bogged down for the majority of the innings but they ensured that their wickets were intact till the time came to accelerate; the early run rate set by Gilchrist gave both the experienced campaigners’ time to negotiate the spinners. but once they got their eye in the shots began to arrive, Symonds blasted Balaji for a six over long off and again his brute force prevailed. Both batsmen were eventually run out playing handy knock of 45 and 50.at the end of the 19th over the scorecard read 168/4.Dhoni took chance and gave the ball to tyagi, and was it, Suman and Rohit generated 22 of the final over to take the total to a hefty 190.

EARLY SETBACK

There was a lot of talk that Hayden will bring out his mongoose bat, but that was not to be as Chminda Vaas once again opened the bowling with conviction. Adam Gilchrist surprised many by giving the bowl to part timer Rohit Sharma as Hadyen hit him for a mammoth six. Vaas’s second over produced the wicket of Murali Vijay. Raina came in and without taking any time heaved a short pitch delivery toward the mid wicket boundary for a maximum, but Vaas came back strongly as Raina tried to hit the ball hard rather than timing it resulting in a simple catch for Adam Gilchrist, Vaas had got his second. But Still Superkings batting depth meant that the game was not over yet. Hayden hit his second six of the innings of the bowling of R.P. Singh and he was looking dangerous. But it was Chaminda Vaas again coming to the resue, Hayden tried to scoop the ball over short fine leg, but with Vaas’s pace it was a disastrous shot selection, Hayden gone, Chennai were in a spot of bother.

Dhoni and Kemp tried to consolidate the innings as Jaskaran Singh was put to the sword in his very first over, he gave away 3 boundaries and a wide. But Pragyan Ojha and Rohit Sharma exploited the slowness of the Chennai pitch and continuously applied pressure on both Dhoni and Kemp. Kemp got a move on as he danced down the track to hit Ohja for a six, but when Ojha flighted the ball, Kemp was foxed to come out of the crease and a straight forward stumping by Gilchrist.

The superkings never recovered from that blow and when Dhoni was bowled by  Symonds, the last nailed in the superkings coffin was in its place, Albie morkel hit a few lusty blows little late in the innings. Superkings finished 31 runs short, a big blow to their IPL campaign.