New Delhi: With the semifinal passage turning from smooth to slippery following four defeats on the trot, the exasperated Delhi Daredevils sniff a chance to arrest the free-fall against points table laggards Deccan Chargers in their Indian Premier League match here tomorrow.
The defeat against King's XI Punjab notwithstanding, Sehwag's side apparently could do no wrong as they won four of their first five matches, thumping the likes of current and former table toppers Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.
Mumbai Indians, however, started the rot and the Daredevils ran into a wretched stretch, still struggling to wriggle out of the hole.
Subsequently, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals avenged the first leg defeats and last night Kolkata Knight Riders added to their woes by walking away with a 23-run win.
Accordingly, the Delhi outfit no more finds itself ensconced among the top four and the semifinal berth that seemed very much theirs for taking is now clearly in jeopardy.
Over-reliance on the top order has been the side's Achilles' heel and the rickety middle order does not look in a mood to change the perception.
The Daredevils have looked formidable as long as Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, and Shikhar Dhawan too to some extent, fired. Once the trio were back in the hut, they looked a different side altogether, a fact that did not elude their opponents as the IPL inched closer to its business end.
And as if there was any doubt about it, Shoaib Akhtar made it explicit when he blew away the top order with a devastating spell and Delhi collapsed chasing down a total as modest as 134 last night. Tillakratne Dilshan and Amit Mishra did wage a grim battle in the middle but the Daredevils had completely lost the plot even before they were midway through their innings.
In contrast, their bowling attack has been spot on throughout the tournament, especially their pacers.
Glenn McGrath's retirement from international cricket seems a mere rumour as the master craftsman remains the same mean, miser operator, making life miserable for the willowers, that too in a format with an obvious bias towards the batsmen.
McGrath and fellow leather-flingers, the home grown Pradeep Sangwan and Sri Lankan import Ferveez Maharoof, did an excellent job as they tied down the Knight Riders to 133 for 6 in 20 overs but once again, it was their batting colleagues who let them down last night.
The Daredevils, however, would be looking forward to buck the trend when they host lowly Deccan Chargers, tournament's joint favourite punching bag, alongside Bangalore Royal Challengers.
The Chargers have already lost their regular captain VVS Laxman to injury, while stand-in skipper Adam Gilchrist refuses to harbour false hopes and has made it clear that the squad, after seven defeats in nine matches, are virtually out of the reckoning.
Gilchrist has managed to keep his reputation, while runs have also flown from middle order bat Rohit Sharma's blade. But as a team, the Chargers have not clicked and their bowling, despite having RP Singh and Chaminda Vaas, has neither the firepower nor the sting to mow down any batting order.
Naturally, the hosts would hold an edge when they take on Gilchrist's side tomorrow. String of setbacks have in fact simplified things for Sehwag and his men, who now have their back against the wall and win is the only way forward.
Teams (From) Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag (C), Rajat Bhatia, AB de Villiers, Shikhar Dhawan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Brett Geeves, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn McGrath, Farveez Maharoof, V Yo Mahesh, Mithun Manhas, Amit Mishra, Mohammad Asif, Yogesh Nagar, Pradeep Sangwan, Shoaib Malik, Mayank Tehlan, Manoj Tiwary, Tejashwi Yadav.
Deccan Chargers: Sanjay Bangar, Halhadar Das, Herschelle Gibbs, Adam Gilchrist, D Kalyankrishna, Pragyan Ojha, Dwaraka Ravi Teja, PM Sarvesh Kumar, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma, Chamara Silva, RP Singh, Scott Styris, Chaminda Vaas, Venugopal Rao, P Vijaykumar, Arjun Yadav, Nuwan Zoysa.
No comments:
Post a Comment