Gilchrist reflects on a job well done

Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist has said he would have picked team-mate Andrew Symonds in Australia's Ashes squad on the strength of his performance in the second IPL season. Symonds didn't make the Ashes cut but played a huge role in Deccan winning the tournament.

With Deccan clinching the title on Sunday following their six-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final in Johannesburg, Gilchrist had spoken of how Symonds played a key role in the team's success. Symonds took the wickets of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli with successive balls to effectively end Bangalore's chances.

"He [Symonds] would be in my [Ashes] team," Gilchrist said. "Ever since I've played with Andrew Symonds he's been a real team man. You saw a glimpse of that last year when he only played four games - the respect he had from the Indian players and international players alike. He became an instant favourite in the squad. He's a great personality and a wonderful talent on the cricket field who can turn matches."

Gilchrist also had words of praise for VVS Laxman, from whom he took over as captain after the team finished bottom of the league last season. "Although we made changes in the coaches and the captain, everyone in the squad bought into it, including VVS," Gilchrist said. "He went through a lot emotionally. The captaincy was taken away from him and he only played five games, then the selectors decided we didn't need him."

Laxman remained a good team man despite being dropped, Gilchrist said. "He continued to contribute around the group with his experience and his vast knowledge. He wants to learn to be a better Twenty20 player. That's a wonderful example to young players to see a player at his age wanting to evolve into a better player."

Gilchrist said Laxman even worked with the team's coaches to improve his Twenty20 skills. "It's not just the young kids who are learning all the time, it applies to all of us. VVS epitomises what this franchise is all about."

Gilchrist attributed the team's turnaround to several factors, including emphasising to the players to "make sure every ball is the most important thing in their life at that moment". He said the team's owners had also played a role by agreeing to his requests for some changes in personnel.

"The main one was [coach] Darren Lehmann, who has a wonderful cricket brain." Gilchrist also brought Australian fielding coach Mike Young and fitness trainer Steve Smith on board.

Manish Pandey century takes Bangalore to No. 3

In a campaign that has included matches insipid and inspiring Royal Challengers Bangalore have well and truly come to life. Maintaining the momentum of three consecutive wins, they pulled the rug from under Deccan Chargers' feet and went to No. 3 in the points table, setting up a semi-final clash with the Chennai Super Kings on Saturday. Deccan will play Delhi Daredevils in Friday's semi-final.

At the end of a clinical win, Bangalore can thank Manish Pandey and RP Singh. Promoting Pandey to open in a pressure situation, Bangalore nearly lost him in the third over but RP's gross misjudgment at third man settled the nerves and then some. Either cutting solidly or swatting and slapping with efficiency rather than grace, Pandey grabbed the opportunity and notched up just the second century this season - and the first by an Indian in either season. Few in South Africa would have heard of the Under-19 batsman before today but should remember him after this amazing effort.

Teams have struggled to defend under lights at Centurion, and Bangalore were put on the backfoot as Herschelle Gibbs waded into the attack. But Anil Kumble took pace off the ball and once Gibbs and Andrew Symonds were dismissed in relative succession it all got too tough for Deccan.

RP's drop in the third over came after Jacques Kallis pulled his seventh ball to short square leg. It proved a costly error. Pandey began his innings looking out of sorts, twice inside-edging Ryan Harris on the bounce to Adam Gilchrist and top-edging safely to third man. Batting as though Bangalore needed to chase 250, Pandey clouted the ball through the leg side with abandon.

Roelof van der Merwe showed a liking for RP on the leg side, twice crashing him over through and over mid-on for boundaries, and weighed in with 23 from 18 balls. After he was well stumped off Symonds in the tenth over, Pandey weighed the situation and hung on. By this time he was 33, and on resumption after the strategic break dumped T Suman's offspin for consecutive sixes to raise his half-century. Now his timing had improved considerably and Bangalore were going at seven an over.

Very strong through the leg side, Pandey's main scoring option was the swipe across the line. RP returned to bowl the 14th over and Pandey reminded him of his reprieve, swatting and edging fours. He continued the same way after Pragyan Ojha accounted for Rahul Dravid in the next over, clearing his front leg and slogging against the turn. The caress - Pandey steered Jaskaran for four - was followed by the clubbed - next ball disappeared for six - and the fortuitous - an edge beat Gilchrist for four - as Pandey moved to 97 at the end of the 17th over.

Top Curve
Prime Numbers

*

410
The number of runs scored by Gilchrist in the tournament. He becomes the fourth batsman to go past the 400-mark
*

45
The number of runs conceded by Praveen Kumar, making it the second-most expensive spell by a Bangalore bowler this season. Kallis went for 51 off his four overs against Kings XI Punjab in their first meeting this season
*

106
The number of runs scored in the last 10 overs by Bangalore
*

3
The number of half-centuries for Gibbs in the tournament, making him the batsman with most fifty-plus scores for Deccan

Bottom Curve

The landmark came up with a single down the ground and there wasn't much fanfare. Virat Kohli took a cue and pulled six more, followed by a top edge that dropped safely between two clueless fielders, and deposited the last ball over the ropes. That last over summed up the course the two teams had run.

With Gilchrist struggling for timing, Gibbs took over the responsibility of scoring and did so in imitable fashion. He survived a shout against an Kumble topspinner when on 5 but didn't refrain from walking across his stumps, lapping and pulling the bowlers to distraction. Kallis hobbled off with a troublesome hamstring and Gibbs decided to take on Praveen Kumar. The first two balls were short-arm-flicked for sixes, the third was lapped for four, and Gilchrist put away a low full toss. Gibbs then dismissed van der Merwe for a couple of sixes upon introduction. Taking full toll of the half-volleys and stray balls that were on offer, Gibbs blasted 45 of the 68 runs added by the openers, lashing boundaries on both sides of the wicket.

He was dropped on 49 - soon after Gilchrist went for 15 - but didn't do much damage after Deccan went into the strategic break on a healthy 79 for 1. Symonds walked out in the 11th over after Kumble got Suman, and Rohit Sharma followed him in second ball of the 15th when Gibbs lost his grip and skied one to a tumbling Pandey in the deep. With 52 needed in five, Kumble called back van der Werwe and he bowled Symonds first ball. The pressure was on Rohit and Venugopal Rao but neither contributed; Rao was run out in the 18th over and in the next Rohit lofted Kumble to a very calm Kohli at long-on. The 26 needed off the final over was too much.

Bangalore showed an intensity that indicated how keen they were to erase the loss from the last time these two teams met. Pandey has said he would like to join the army, like his father, if he is unable to become a professional cricketer. If he can score hundreds like this going forward he won't need to reach for that application form.

Symonds likely for Deccan's next match

Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds could start playing for the Deccan Chargers in the IPL as early as Saturday, as he looks to fly out of Dubai on Friday, a day after the Twenty20 international against Pakistan. Symonds will have to reach Kimberley in South Africa for Deccan's next clash against Kings XI Punjab.

Among the contingent currently in the UAE, Brett Lee (Kings XI Punjab), David Hussey (Kolkata Knight Riders), Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals), Nathan Bracken (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and James Hopes (Kings XI Punjab) are also expected to joint their IPL franchises from Saturday.

"Andrew has obviously missed a lot of cricket in the last little while, and he's keen to get out there and play as much as he can," Matt Fearon, Symonds' manager, said. "He has loved being back and performing with the Australian team, and he is looking forward to getting over to South Africa to join the boys at Deccan."

Symonds was recalled to the Australian team after a couple of suspensions for off-field behaviour. He scored 58 and took 2 for 12 to guide his team to a six-wicket win in the second ODI against Pakistan in Dubai, a breakthrough performance after fearing the series might be his last as an international.

Australia had held on to their players till the end of the Pakistan series, but are now keen for them to play in the IPL ahead of the World Twenty20 in England next month.

"We aren't standing anyone down from going to the IPL after the Pakistan series," Andrew Hilditch, the Australian chairman of selectors, said.

Dhoni and Jakati ensure huge win

Chennai Super Kings soared to the top of the points table in dramatic fashion, recording their third consecutive win in a comprehensive defeat of Deccan Chargers at Buffalo Park. The game had everything: excellent swing that had Deccan reeling at 1 for 3, left-arm spin from Shadab Jakati that gave him his second consecutive four-wicket haul and ripped the heart out of Deccan's batting, and two whirlwind innings, one by Dwayne Smith that could only stave off the inevitable and another by MS Dhoni, at the start of the match, to set up the win. Much of that, and a dropped catch and a missed run-out, took place in a frenetic opening ten overs of Deccan's chase that had more twists, turns and frenetic passages of play than an entire Twenty20 match.

Deccan's win against their opponents in the previous encounter Durban was based on a powerful start from Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs but the change in venue brought about a shocking change in fortunes as both departed for ducks. Gilchrist was trapped first ball bang in front of the stumps off a loopy delivery by Albie Morkel and Gibbs played all over a full delivery by Sudeep Tyagi and lost his legstump to a ricochet.

VVS Laxman, desperately seeking runs to keep his place in the side, soon fell to a tame chip to midwicket off Morkel. With three ducks at the top of the order, Deccan's line-up was already resembling a poultry farm - a procession of headless chickens was, one felt, another wicket away.

That it didn't come to that owed itself to some luck and then lots of bravado. A huge mis-hit from Smith when he was on 2 fell towards three waiting fielders but, inexplicably, landed safely; the following ball produced a thick leading edge that was fluffed by Tyagi at third man. What followed in the next couple of overs stung Chennai more than those missed chances.

Choosing attack as the best form of defence, Smith bludgeoned boundaries over the on side with tremendous bat speed. One over from Albie Morkel yielded 19 runs, including two sixes; one, off a high full toss, was hit over midwicket and the next ball was flicked squarer on the on side. The next over from L Balaji was hit for 18 with Rohit Sharma joining the party.

Top Curve
Prime Numbers

*

54
The average score for Chennai in the Powerplays - the highest for any team in the tournament
*

34.57
The average partnership between Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs at the top of the Deccan Chargers innings
*

81
The percentage of runs hit by Gilchrist in boundaries
*

21
The number of golden ducks in the tournament
*

28
The number of runs put up by the Deccan batsmen, barring the partnership between Dwayne Smith and Rohit Sharma

Bottom Curve

Dhoni shuffled his bowlers and brought on Jakati when the 50 partnership came up in just 21 balls to try and make things happen. Things did happen, though not quite as Dhoni intended. First, Smith clubbed Jakati for a huge six into the grass embankment. In his next over Jakati got rid of Rohit before an amazing sequence that saw four - four run-out chances being fluffed off one ball. Smith hit it to deep point, Jakati couldn't collect the return, Badrinath backing up, threw it back to Jakati who again didn't collect the throw but broke the stumps with Smith and non-striker T Suman almost at the same end; Jakati then picked up the ball and tried to hand it to Badrinath, who had moved to the stumps but flicked it wide of him.

The bowler had his revenge the same over, though, when he trapped Smith in front for 49. That effectively ended Deccan's chase, the rest of the wickets a blur as the innings folded by the 15th over.

Chennai's win was built on their batting, though, as they won the toss and piled on a target which, by this tournament's standards, was way above par. Dhoni, having said before this match that his form was "pathetic", addressed the issue by promoting himself to No. 3 and the quality time spent in the middle helped recover his form.

The start provided by Matthew Hayden and M Vijay gave Chennai and Dhoni the impetus. Hayden feasted on some wayward bowling by biffing deliveries over the off side and walking down the pitch to set the bowlers off their rhythm. Suresh Raina matched Hayden in terms of power and intimidation. After Suman helped Deccan hit back with the wicket of Vijay, his figures were torn apart by Raina, who clubbed him for three consecutive boundaries over midwicket.

Dhoni was already well set at the crease and a six off Pragyan Ojha that landed on the roof at long-on was a sign of things to come. The tentativeness which affected his form in the earlier games was refreshingly absent as he kept busy at the cease, pushing the singles and bludgeoning the bowlers down the ground with his unconventional, yet powerful checked drives. He hammered Harris down the ground like a cannon and took on the same bowler for a reverse sweep that found the boundary. He reached his half-century with a savage pull off RP in the final over and led his team to a score that later exposed the shortcomings of the side heading the table when the match started. It ended, of course, with another team shooting to the top.

Raut emerges new match-winner for Warne

Port Elizabeth, May 02: The astute man that he is, Shane Warne has an uncanny knack of unearthing hidden talents and keeping faith in them. He does not even hesitate to unleash them in crunch situations in order to get the best out of them. He did it with Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Swapnil Asnodkar, Dinesh Shankule, Neeraj Patel in the first season of IPL that ultimately helped his team win the crown despite not having the big names in their ranks.

The same thing was on display this year too as the spin legend has kept his confidence in the lesser known commodities like Abhishek Raut and Kamran Khan. And they have not disappointed their captain.

If Kamran Khan hogged the limelight by snatching a sensational match for them against KKR in super over, the match against Deccan Chargers on Saturday doled out a new hero in Abhishek Raut, who played an excellent knock of unbeaten 36 off just 23 balls under tremendous pressure to steer his team to victory against mighty Deccan Chargers by 3 wickets with two balls to spare.

As they say, in cricket, or in any other game, you need more players with character rather than talents. Talents may ‘deceive’ you in tricky situations, but the players with character will raise their bar in difficult times and win you more matches under pressure.

First, Raut, along with Captain Shane Warne, forged an important partnership of 36 runs to keep the hopes of winning the match alive for Rajasthan Royals. They took Venugopal Rao, who claimed two wickets, to the cleaners, hitting him for 17 runs in an over. From 60 for 5 after 10 overs they took the team’s total to 93.

The platform was ready for Yusuf Pathan to go for the final assault. Pathan started in a typical fashion hitting two huge sixes. He helped his team narrow the gap between balls and required runs with a blistering 14-ball 24.

But the staunchest of Rajasthan’s supporters would not have expected this victory considering the way they started their proceedings. Chasing a moderate 142, Rajasthan Royals got off to a horrendous start, losing three early wickets inside second over of the innings. It’s the worst start by any team in IPL season two losing three wickets for just 3 runs.

They lost the first two wickets in the 2nd and 3rd ball of the very first over in the form of South African captain Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar. Then in the next over (2nd over) they lost wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who was playing his debut IPL match. All the three batsmen failed to open their account.

While Smith and Ojha got out caught in the off-side, Asnodkar was run out by an acrobatic effort by Gibbs.

Just when everything seemed to be lost for the defending champion inside second over of the innings when they were tottering at 3/3, Queensland’s T20 specialist Lee Carseldine, along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, launched a severe counter-attack on Deccan bowlers, who were making havoc sending the shivers down the spines of Royals batting, and helped his team cross fifty from 3 for 3.

Ravindra Jadeja, who was lending good support to the Australian, suddenly tried to play to the gallery, but his adventurous shot failed to clear the boundary and he was caught at long-off by Dwayne Smith off Venugopal Rao. Rao gave another blow in the same over removing the dangerous Lee Carseldine whose destructive 39 finally came to an end. His brave knock consisted of 6 hits to the fence. After 10 overs, Royals were 60 for 5.


Earlier an excellent bowling performance by Ravindra Jadeja and Shane Harwood helped Rajasthan Royals restrict Deccan Chargers to 141/5 in allotted overs.

Though all the Royals bowlers bowled well, it’s Jadeja and Harwood who were the pick of the bowler maintaining a disciplined line and length and keeping a tight lease around the in-form Deccan batsmen after their captain and dangerous Gilchrist was sent to the pavilion by Jadeja leaving them struggling at 58/3 during strategy break.

Though Rohit Sharma and T Suman (41*) stitched a 59-run partnership to pull Deccan out of trouble and help them to cross hundred-run mark, once Rohit Sharma (38 off 32 balls) got out, trying to hit two consecutive sixes to Siddharth Trivedi after hitting him over mid-wicket for one off the previous ball, Deccan innings never got going.

Suman also tried his best with a attacking knock of 41 off 30 balls with 2 fours and one six, it was not enough to help Deccan cross 150 mark. But the total can’t be underestimated considering the superb performance by the bowlers.

Just when everything was set for another devastating knock from Gilchrist, he perished trying to whack Ravindra Jadeja over mid-wicket. Gilchrist made 40 off 35 balls with the help of 5 fours and 2 sixes. When the two teams headed for the strategic break after 10 overs, Deccan Chargers were 58 for 3. With Gilchrist back into the dug-out, entire responsibility was rested on Rohit Sharma, who played a good knock, to help Deccan post a decent score.

Yusuf Pathan again drew the first blood for his team as he removed in-form Herschelle Gibbs for 8 off 10 balls. Yusuf found Gibbs plumb in front of the wicket while trying to play a sweep shot off a straighter delivery.

Azhar Bilakhia, who got a promotion today to no 3 position for his good show in IPL-II, did not last long either as he perished trying to play a pull shot only to be caught at long-on off Shane Harwood, who got his first wicket in his very first ball of the IPL.

Teams:

Deccan Chargers: AC Gilchrist, HH Gibbs, AA Bilakhia, RG Sharma, Y Venugopal Rao, TS Suman, DR Smith, SM Shoaib, PP Ojha, RP Singh, FH Edwards

Rajasthan Royals: GC Smith, SA Asnodkar, RA Jadeja, YK Pathan, LA Carseldine, NV Ojha, AS Raut, SK Warne, SM Harwood, SK Trivedi, MM Patel


Biswajit Jha/Zeecric Bureau

Port Elizabeth, May 02: The astute man that he is, Shane Warne has an uncanny knack of unearthing hidden talents and keeping faith in them. He does not even hesitate to unleash them in crunch situations in order to get the best out of them. He did it with Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Swapnil Asnodkar, Dinesh Shankule, Neeraj Patel in the first season of IPL that ultimately helped his team win the crown despite not having the big names in their ranks.

The same thing was on display this year too as the spin legend has kept his confidence in the lesser known commodities like Abhishek Raut and Kamran Khan. And they have not disappointed their captain.

If Kamran Khan hogged the limelight by snatching a sensational match for them against KKR in super over, the match against Deccan Chargers on Saturday doled out a new hero in Abhishek Raut, who played an excellent knock of unbeaten 36 off just 23 balls under tremendous pressure to steer his team to victory against mighty Deccan Chargers by 3 wickets with two balls to spare.

As they say, in cricket, or in any other game, you need more players with character rather than talents. Talents may ‘deceive’ you in tricky situations, but the players with character will raise their bar in difficult times and win you more matches under pressure.

First, Raut, along with Captain Shane Warne, forged an important partnership of 36 runs to keep the hopes of winning the match alive for Rajasthan Royals. They took Venugopal Rao, who claimed two wickets, to the cleaners, hitting him for 17 runs in an over. From 60 for 5 after 10 overs they took the team’s total to 93.

The platform was ready for Yusuf Pathan to go for the final assault. Pathan started in a typical fashion hitting two huge sixes. He helped his team narrow the gap between balls and required runs with a blistering 14-ball 24.

But the staunchest of Rajasthan’s supporters would not have expected this victory considering the way they started their proceedings. Chasing a moderate 142, Rajasthan Royals got off to a horrendous start, losing three early wickets inside second over of the innings. It’s the worst start by any team in IPL season two losing three wickets for just 3 runs.

They lost the first two wickets in the 2nd and 3rd ball of the very first over in the form of South African captain Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar. Then in the next over (2nd over) they lost wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who was playing his debut IPL match. All the three batsmen failed to open their account.

While Smith and Ojha got out caught in the off-side, Asnodkar was run out by an acrobatic effort by Gibbs.

Just when everything seemed to be lost for the defending champion inside second over of the innings when they were tottering at 3/3, Queensland’s T20 specialist Lee Carseldine, along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, launched a severe counter-attack on Deccan bowlers, who were making havoc sending the shivers down the spines of Royals batting, and helped his team cross fifty from 3 for 3.

Ravindra Jadeja, who was lending good support to the Australian, suddenly tried to play to the gallery, but his adventurous shot failed to clear the boundary and he was caught at long-off by Dwayne Smith off Venugopal Rao. Rao gave another blow in the same over removing the dangerous Lee Carseldine whose destructive 39 finally came to an end. His brave knock consisted of 6 hits to the fence. After 10 overs, Royals were 60 for 5.

Earlier an excellent bowling performance by Ravindra Jadeja and Shane Harwood helped Rajasthan Royals restrict Deccan Chargers to 141/5 in allotted overs.

Though all the Royals bowlers bowled well, it’s Jadeja and Harwood who were the pick of the bowler maintaining a disciplined line and length and keeping a tight lease around the in-form Deccan batsmen after their captain and dangerous Gilchrist was sent to the pavilion by Jadeja leaving them struggling at 58/3 during strategy break.

Though Rohit Sharma and T Suman (41*) stitched a 59-run partnership to pull Deccan out of trouble and help them to cross hundred-run mark, once Rohit Sharma (38 off 32 balls) got out, trying to hit two consecutive sixes to Siddharth Trivedi after hitting him over mid-wicket for one off the previous ball, Deccan innings never got going.

Suman also tried his best with a attacking knock of 41 off 30 balls with 2 fours and one six, it was not enough to help Deccan cross 150 mark. But the total can’t be underestimated considering the superb performance by the bowlers.

Just when everything was set for another devastating knock from Gilchrist, he perished trying to whack Ravindra Jadeja over mid-wicket. Gilchrist made 40 off 35 balls with the help of 5 fours and 2 sixes. When the two teams headed for the strategic break after 10 overs, Deccan Chargers were 58 for 3. With Gilchrist back into the dug-out, entire responsibility was rested on Rohit Sharma, who played a good knock, to help Deccan post a decent score.

Yusuf Pathan again drew the first blood for his team as he removed in-form Herschelle Gibbs for 8 off 10 balls. Yusuf found Gibbs plumb in front of the wicket while trying to play a sweep shot off a straighter delivery.

Azhar Bilakhia, who got a promotion today to no 3 position for his good show in IPL-II, did not last long either as he perished trying to play a pull shot only to be caught at long-on off Shane Harwood, who got his first wicket in his very first ball of the IPL.

Teams:

Deccan Chargers: AC Gilchrist, HH Gibbs, AA Bilakhia, RG Sharma, Y Venugopal Rao, TS Suman, DR Smith, SM Shoaib, PP Ojha, RP Singh, FH Edwards

Rajasthan Royals: GC Smith, SA Asnodkar, RA Jadeja, YK Pathan, LA Carseldine, NV Ojha, AS Raut, SK Warne, SM Harwood, SK Trivedi, MM Patel

Delhi look to take wind out of Deccan sails

Big Picture

Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs added 63 in quick time, Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians, IPL, 12th Match, Durban, April 25, 2009
Delhi Daredevils will want to see the back of Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs fast © AFP

Supersport Park in Centurion plays host to the clash of the two best teams in the tournament - Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils - in the first of Thursday's double-header. Deccan, with a 100 per cent record this season, are unrecognisable from the side that propped up the table in 2008. Herschelle Gibbs and Adam Gilchrist have fired at the top and there have been no batting collapses. The bowling has also looked more potent, thanks in no small way to Fidel Edwards, who will play at least one more game before heading to England to join his West Indies team-mates.

Delhi look the most likely team to upset Deccan's momentum. They were on a winning streak of their own but were upset by Rajasthan Royals and an incredible 83-run stand between Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan. That defeat was an eye-opener to several cracks; the fielding wasn't upto the mark and Daniel Vettori had a rare bad day at work. They will want to bounce back with a statement in this battle of the heavy weights.

Form guide

Delhi: Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have failed to fire, individually and in partnership. Sehwag has a highest score of 38 and Gambhir 16. Sehwag's shot selection needs to improve but surely it's only a matter of time before he finds his feet.

Deccan Chargers: Gibbs, with 183 runs, is pushing Matthew Hayden (215) for the orange cap for the highest scorer and should claim it on Thursday. RP Singh and Lasith Malinga are tied on nine wickets and Pragyan Ojha is just behind at eight. So Deccan have a chance to keep the orange and purple caps.

Watch out for

Gibbs v de Villiers: There has been very little to separate this pair who have used the home advantage to the fullest. Gibbs has 176 runs, just seven behind de Villiers. The most striking similarity, apart from their electric fielding, is the power of their on-side shots.

Team news

For Delhi, Glenn McGrath is yet to get a game. Paul Collingwood has also been a passenger and he doesn't have much time left before heading back to England for the Tests. But Delhi will have to rest either Tillakaratne Dilshan or AB de Villiers and it's a tough choice considering their splendid form.

Delhi: (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Mithun Manhas, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Daniel Vettori, 8 Dirk Nannes, 9 Pradeep Sangwan, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Deccan may not want to upset their winning combination.

Deccan: (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt/wk), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Dwayne Smith, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Venugopal Rao, 7 Azharuddin Bilakhia, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 Shoaib Ahmed, 10 RP Singh, 11 Fidel Edwards.

Head-to-head record

Deccan were steamrolled at home by nine wickets as Sehwag bludgeoned an unbeaten 94 in chasing a target of 143. It was a much closer affair at the Feroz Shah Kotla where Deccan fell short by 12 runs chasing 195. Mishra signed off the victory in style with a hat-trick.

Gibbs takes Deccan to fourth win

Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers, IPL, Durban

Gibbs gives Deccan fourth consecutive win

The Bulletin by George Binoy

April 27, 2009

Deccan Chargers 169 for 4 (Gilchrist 44, Gibbs 69*) beat Chennai Super Kings 165 for 6 (Hayden 49, Oram 41*, Ojha 2-11) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Herschelle Gibbs makes room to drive, Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers, IPL, 16th match, Durban, April 27, 2009
Herschelle Gibbs was the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 69 © AFP

A tenacious display from Deccan Chargers' bowlers followed by a murderous assault from their opening batsmen secured their fourth consecutive win of the tournament and firmly established the Hyderabad side as the team to beat this season.

Pragyan Ojha once again bowled impressively - picking up two wickets in one crucial over, including that of the dangerous-looking Matthew Hayden - to restrict Chennai to merely 165 when they looked set for much more at one stage. The competitive target, however, was diminished by a withering assault from Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs. They blitzed 60 runs off the first four overs and gave their team enough cushion against a few setbacks on their way to victory.

Gilchrist dictated terms from the first over, in which he drove L Balaji to the long-off and extra-cover boundaries. Gibbs took on Manpreet Gony in the next: he charged and lofted straight down the ground for four, pulled over the fine-leg boundary and hit two more fours to midwicket and square leg to take 20 runs off the over. Balaji dropped Gilchrist - a hard caught-and-bowled chance - in the third over and paid for it by conceding 17 runs. Gilchrist deposited the ball into the stands at deep square leg, pulled another one to the midwicket boundary, and launched yet another over the straight boundary. MS Dhoni brought Albie Morkel into the attack but there was barely any improvement as Gilchrist drilled him to the cover boundary and whacked him over the rope at square leg.

With the fast bowlers bleeding runs, Dhoni turned to spin and the breakthroughs came from the unlikeliest of operators. Suresh Raina struck twice with his offbreaks, inducing both Gilchrist, who clobbered 44 off 18 balls, and VVS Laxman to cut to short third man. Deccan had gone from 67 for 0 to 75 for 2 and they scored only 25 runs between overs six and ten. However, the early momentum provided by Gilchrist and the steady half-century from Gibbs, who batted through the innings, ensured that the lull did not do irreparable damage. Gibbs shifted to a lower gear but ensured that he was on strike when eight runs were needed off the last over. The first ball was full from Balaji, Gibbs got under it and heaved it over the deep midwicket boundary to ease Deccan's nerves.

A larger target would have stretched Deccan, given that they had only three balls to spare, and Ojha's double-breakthrough in the 13th over played a crucial role in keeping Chennai to 165. Hayden was at his bullying best, stepping out and muscling bowlers across the quick outfield at Kingsmead. Parthiv Patel continued the odd trend of teams losing a wicket before scoring a run but the early loss did not faze Hayden. He attacked RP Singh, the league's highest wicket-taker, immediately by walking down to swat him to the midwicket boundary and to cut over point. The extra pace and bounce of Fidel Edwards didn't make a difference either and Hayden advanced and powered him through the off side.

Hayden found an attacking partner in Suresh Raina but both batsmen were lucky to survive dropped catches. Raina was let off by debutant Azhar Bilakhia at gully when he was on two and Gilchrist grassed a tough chance to his left when Hayden was on 17. They made Deccan pay for their lapses during a 64-run stand for the second wicket.

Ojha repeated his performance against Mumbai Indians soon after the tactical time-out. Against Mumbai, he took three wickets in successive overs and today he managed to dismiss both Dhoni and Hayden in one. Chennai slipped from 102 for 2 to 103 for 4 in the space of three balls. Curiously Gilchrist didn't give Ojha another over and he finished with figures of 2 for 11 in two overs.

Jacob Oram, who replaced the injured Flintoff, provided Chennai with acceleration towards the end of the innings, hitting the debutant Shoaib Ahmed for massive sixes down the ground. Oram helped Chennai take 20 runs off the 18th over but their total proved too little against Deccan's in-form batting line-up.

Fidel Edwards bowls at his miserly best in IPL

Cape Town (IANS): Deccan Chargers' fast bowler Fidel Edwards with his miserly figures Sunday night against Kolkata Knight Riders produced the best economy rate by any bowler in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The West Indies fast bowler, who was crucial in Deccan Chargers' eight-wicket win, gave away just six runs from his four overs that also included a maiden at an economy rate of 1.5 at the Newlands.

Next to him in the second spot is Bangalore Royal Challengers' Anil Kumble, the former India skipper, who recorded an economy rate of 1.57 during his career-best 5 for 5 off 3.1 against defending champions Rajasthan Royals Saturday.

The following are the other statistics of the match between Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders:

Pragyan Ojha (2/14), Scott Styris (2/32) and Rudra Pratap Singh (4/22) have registered their best figures in the IPL.

Rudra became the first bowler from Deccan Chargers to capture four wickets in an IPL innings. Thanks to his outstanding feat, Rudra got his first MOM award.

Kolkata (101) posted their second lowest score in the IPL. Against Mumbai Indians, they were dismissed for 67 at Wankhede Stadium on May 16, 2008.

With two stumpings in an innings, Adam Gilchrist became the second wicketkeeper to accomplish the feat in an IPL innings. In the last edition, Wriddhiman Saha was the first to accomplish the feat against Kings XI at Mohali on May 3, 2008.

Gilchrist, with three dismissals (1 catch + 2 stumpings), has recorded his best wicketkeeping performance in an IPL innings.

Deccan Chargers' eight-wicket victory is their third in 15 IPL matches.

Deccan Chargers' win is their first in three games against Kolkata Knight Riders.

ICC should make window for IPL: Warne

Cape Town: International Cricket Council lacks 'common sense', otherwise it would have created a separate window for the Indian Premier League, said spin legend Shane Warne.

A vociferous advocate of a separate window for the Twenty20 event, Warne said no international matches should have been scheduled for the month of April to allow all players compete in the cash-rich league.

"If the ICC had any common sense, they would create a window for the IPL," Warne, who led the Rajasthan Royals to a fairytale victory in the inaugural edition of the league was quoted as saying by The Star.

Lehmann counting on Gilchrist and Laxman

Deccan Chargers are banking on the experience of Adam Gilchrist and the knowledge of VVS Laxman, who was replaced as captain by Gilchrist after the first IPL, to finish "a lot higher" than their bottom spot in 2008. Darren Lehmann, the team's new coach, also said the side was let down by their bowling and fielding last year and that the second IPL starting on Saturday would be a personal challenge.

"Adam Gilchrist is the captain and he is very experienced," Lehmann told Cricinfo. "But VVS Laxman is an important player for us, too. He has got a wealth of experience, and with that knowledge, we are hoping to make some inroads there."

Deccan started last season as favourites after topping their player purchase cap of US$5 million by signing up explosive batsmen like Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, Shahid Afridi and Rohit Sharma, but disintegrated as the IPL progressed. This time, they have begun on a positive note by winning a warm-up game at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Monday against Titans by six wickets. Scott Styris, their New Zealand signing, took three for 10 to help dismiss Titans for 99 and scored an unbeaten 36 to wrap up a six-wicket win in 11 overs.

Deccan will open their IPL campaign in Cape Town on Sunday against Kolkata Knight Riders and Lehmann said he wouldn't go "too in-depth" into the team's gameplan. "What I can say is that this time, we are going to play with real passion, play smart, and obviously play better than last year," Lehmann said. "All in all, I thought we batted well last year but our fielding and bowling probably let us down, so that's one area we are certainly going to pick up on."

In fact, nothing went right for Deccan last time even outside the field, starting with Laxman's wrist injury which ruled him out of most of that IPL. A few months later, the team controversially replaced Laxman with Gilchrist as part of a management overhaul that also had Lehmann taking the palce of Robin Singh as coach.

Laxman, who will leave for South Africa on Wednesday night, has since staged a magnificent comeback, scoring 956 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 56.23 with two centuries -- one each against Australia and New Zealand -- and six half-centuries.

Then again, just before the second player auction this February, the team also lost Tim Wright, its chief executive officer, over an apparent difference of opinion over the former IMG official's role in the franchise's management structure.

"There have been a lot of things said but at the end of the day, we just got to perform on the field and that's all we will be trying to do," Lehmann said. "Things just didn't go the team's way; they didn't play very well, and the simple fact is we've got to improve that this year. We know that as a team, and we will be doing our utmost to do that this year. In Twenty20, everything needs to come together at the same time. We need to field very well, bowl really smartly and also make an effort. These are things we are trying to improve. It's a good challenge."

Lehmann said the short preparation time available for this IPL would not be a problem because most of his players have been playing international cricket through the year - Gibbs will join the team after the one-day series between South Africa and Australia ends on April 17.

"That's not a worry," he said. "We just need to get together and get our plans in place on where to go. Besides, most teams don't have a long preparation period anyway this year because of the move to South Africa so everyone is on the same boat. So the idea is to move as quick as you can, and as best as you can."

Deccan, however, will be have the services of Symonds only for the last two weeks of this IPL after the Australia allrounder was named in the national one-day squad for the series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi from April 22-May 7. But Lehmann hopes that the team's new signings - Dwayne Smith and Fidel Edwards - will contribute to some early wins. Edwards took two wickets in Monday's warm-up game.

"Edwards has got explosive pace that's one thing you need for a Twenty20 start," Lehmann said. "We expect him to play really well for us and get involved in some early wins with some early wickets. Dwayne Smith is an explosive batsman and a handy allrounder. We have got some depth there, which is really good, and we are looking forward to some inputs from their side as well."

Lehmann also said that his team would be able to adapt to South African conditions better because he, Gilchrist and Laxman have played there before and that experience would work to the team's advantage. Asked where he hoped his team would finish this time, Lehmann said: "Hopefully, a lot higher than last year."