Delhi Daredevils were the hot favourites for the 2009 Indian Premier League.
Delhi Daredevils were the hot favourites for the 2009 Indian Premier League.
They were easily the strongest team in the tournament and had steamrolled all opposition. But, as much as cricket is a team game, it is also an individual sport.
Inspired Gilchrist
An inspired Adam Gilchrist chose the semi-finals to serve a reminder of this fact to Delhi Daredevils yesterday.
Virender Sehwag's team did not really put a foot wrong during the tournament.
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Deccan Chargers' skipper Adam Gilchrist slams one during his match- winning 85 off 35 balls (10 fours and five sixes) against Delhi Daredevils at Centurion yesterday. Chargers won by six wickets. |
Yesterday, in the first knock-out game of the tournament too, they put up a competitive total. But, they reckoned without the brilliance of the Chargers' skipper.
The former Australian batsman is known for his penchant for big games.
The 2007 World Cup final is still fresh in memory when he hammered the daylights out of the Sri Lanka bowlers in Barbados to single-handedly give Australia victory with 149 off 104 balls, slamming 13 fours and eight sixes.
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He had smashed half-centuries in the 1999 and 2003 World Cup final too.
In a way, the occasion yesterday was tailor-made for the superstar.
A packed house, a place in the final up for grabs, and being the captain, all eyes were on him. The gifted left-handed batsman took one's breath away with his exhilarating batting.
Gilchrist served Daredevils an early warning with five fours in the first over bowled by Dirk Nannes. Nannes was Daredevils' main strike bowler and by taming him, it was half the battle won for Chargers.
The rest of the bowlers had no chance. Off Pradeep Sangwan, who replaced Nannes, Gilchrist plundered two fours and a six. When skipper Virender Sehwag came onto bowl, Gilchrist smashed one four and three sixes.
Gilchrist raced to his half-century of 17 balls with eight fours and two sixes. He was well on course to bettering his 42-ball hundred against Mumbai Indians in the inaugural IPL, when he fell for a 35-ball 85.
He got his runs at a strike rate off 242.85 as the Chargers reached their 100 in nine overs.
No contestBy the time, Gilchrist had finished with his blinder, it had become a no contest. Chasing 153 for eight, the run rate for most part remained around five and Chargers coasted home with 14 balls and six wickets to spare.
It was also a lesson for Daredevils that you cannot replace class and experience. Nannes may have blasted away the lesser lights, but a rampaging Gilchrist was a different ball game altogether.
It needed more than just pace and accuracy to control such a class act. Daredevils' best bet for such a challenge was Glenn McGrath.
We wonder, what must be going through the mind of the champion bowler while sitting idle next to his coach Greg Shipperd.
Unfortunately, the lesson came a bit too late. Daredevils lost in the semi-finals last year too.
