Even the most ardent Delhi supporter left the Centurion with a smile. Such was the entertainment provided by Adam Gilchrist that every mile through the toughest traffic snarl was made worth. Chasing a target of 153, Chargers led from the front by their dynamic skipper made mincemeat of the target to reach the final of the now South Indian Premier league.
A combination of spring coil wrists, exhilarating bat speed and a clean point of impact made Delhi shudder. Gilchrist is so used to the big stage that a IPL semi-final cannot force a change in his approach. Never has the any form of the game seen such astonishing power and precision in stroke making. A certain Antiguan might not agree but the 35-ball 85 from Gilchrist was a stand out.
The carnage started in the first over where Gilchrist carted Dirk Nannes for five boundaries. The ugly send off to Herschelle Gibbs by Ashish Nehra further steeled Gilchrist. No bowler was spared. If runs flowed smoothly in the first ten it was a tornado for Chargers. Gilchrist completed his 50 off 16, the fastest in IPL history. Virender Sehwag was treated like a school kid. Gilchrist went over the top thrice. It looked like an early finish.
The fall of Azhar Bilakhia did not stop the onslaught from Gilchrist. The Chargers’ cheer girls were seriously contemplating moving court under the labour law when Gilchrist went for a swing over mid-wicket and skied a catch to de Villiers. The last 10 required 52 with seven wickets in hand. Andrew Symonds was the raging bull from the moment he took guard. T. Suman played the percentage role to perfection.
Symonds holed out with only 17 required for a win. Amit Mishra stood out with his control and was easily the pick of the Delhi bowlers. But it was a trifle late after the medium pacers had handed over the match on a platter.
Earlier for the first time in the tournament Gilchrist went short of ideas after winning the toss. A murderous assault from Virender Sehwag and Tilakaratne Dilshan left the Chargers a battered lot. But an excellent rearguard effort from the bowlers backed by some athletic fielding helped Chargers restrict Delhi to 153. There was little indication of what was to come when Ryan Harris nailed openers Gautam Gambhir and David Warner in the first over.
The next 10 overs was pure mayhem. Harris was guilty of standing well inside the square leg boundary when Dilshan’s hook sailed above his head. The Sri Lankan chanced his arm once too often but he had the rub of the green going his way. Sehwag played a few from the manual while a few were borrowed. It hardly mattered how as runs flowed at a rapid pace.
The bowling changes did not create any impression on the batsmen. Bowlers continued to feed the length for the duo to free their arms. The field placements left a lot to be desired. As many as six boundaries were struck through the sweeper covers but it was left unprotected throughout. Gilchrist standing up to the wicket missed two sharp chances and that added to the sorrow. The scorecard at the end of ten overs read a frightening 83 for two.
The break did the trick for the Chargers. Sehwag trying to beat the man at 45 missed a length ball to be adjudged LBW. Symonds was paid for his perseverance. Delhi’s run arte was dragged down as Harmeet Singh sent in a few tight overs. AB de Villiers on driven six off Pragyan Ojha was the only big stroke till the 16th over as Chargers desperate bid to plug the rate met with some success.
Gibbs dropped a sitter at the long on fence when Dilshan mishit a full toss from Rohit. R.P. Singh forced the outside edge from de Villiers and Harris yorked Dinesh Karthik to push Delhi back. Dilshan was run-out of the penultimate ball for 65 off 51 balls. R.P. Singh with two wickets extended his hold on the Purple Cap.
Confusion prevailed after the fall of the second wicket when Dilshan walked in first and was called back and de Villiers walked in only to be replaced by Dilshan as he had made his way in to the field. Delhi did not have reasons to complain but it was not to be enough.
