Deccan Chargers won the toss and elected to bat first. They managed to put on a fighting score of 171 for 6 wickets on board in the allotted 20 overs. David Warner’s half-century and captain Dinesh Karthik’s fighting 46 were not enough as Delhi Daredevils threw away a sure-shot victory to go down by 10 runs to Deccan Chargers at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack on Sunday.
Delhi appeared to be on the victory track but the departure of Dinesh Kartik (c&b by Symonds) destroyed their hopes and thereafter Delhi’s wickets fell like nine pins. Symonds starred for the Chargers with both bat and ball, picking up three wickets for 21 runs from his four overs after scoring 35.
Rohit Sharma played a superb innings and Deccan Chargers continuing their winning ways. His 60-run partnership with T Suman lifted Deccan to 171 for 6. Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds had begun in positive fashion but timely breakthroughs, ensured Delhi were on even terms before Rohit’s onslaught left them with a challenging task.
Delhi used four spinners inside the first six overs with satisfactory results, as the Deccan openers succumbed to the variations. Monish Mishra, batting in place of the injured VVS Laxman, misread a googly from Amit Mishra to be bowled in the first over.
Gibbs and Gilchrist were quick to undo the damage. Dirk Nannes was launched for a six over long-on by Gibbs. While Gibbs opened up against pace, Gilchrist reserved his shots for the spinners, consistently aiming at the leg-side boundary, sweeping Nagar for consecutive fours. But it was Ladda’s googly that he could not read, and was caught by the wicket-keeper who ran to first slip position to take the skier.
The Cuttack pitch was taking spin, turn and bounce and Gibbs, after lofting Nannes for another six, slashed Nagar straight to point. Symonds also made 35 runs very quickly.
Suman kept Deccan on course, picking out Henriques and Nannes for boundaries and Rohit Sharma launched the attacked from the other end. Henriques was also dispatched by Rohit in the next over to the boundry, which fetched another 14 runs in that over. His miscued a shot on a ball from from Nannes was caught by de-Villiers for 45 runs. The final two overs yielded just 15 runs and Deccan Chargers were 171 for 6 wickets.
In reply thereto Delhi could muster only 161 for 9 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. David Warner slammed 57 runs off 33 balls while Sehwag was unlucky to have got out for only 3 runs – caught by Gibbs off Ojha. AB de-Villiers made 27 runs of 26 balls and was bowled by Rahul Sharma. Dinesh Kartik played a captains knock and slammed 4 fours and 3 sixes.
So long as Kartik was batting, there was an iota of hope for Delhi Daredevils to win this encounter. But then Symonds was introduced into the attack who took a superb single-handed return catch off a full blooded shot from Kartik and the Deccan Chargers camp went into raptures. Thereafter, Henriques was the only player who contributed 11 runs and Dellhi were bundled out for 161 for 9 wickets.
For the Deccan Chargers Rahul Sharma took 2 wickets or 42 runs.
Even though Delhi looked to be on course of their target but lost wickets at regular intervals for their third straight defeat in the tournament, while Deccan have now won three in a row.
Andrew Symonds was declared the Man of the Match.
Ravi Matah