A majestic performance from captain Adam Gilchrist saw the Deccan Chargers book their place as the first team in the 2009 IPL final.
The Aussie legend hit a scintillating 85 off 35 deliveries, in what was an exhibition of aggressive batting. His match-winning performance, that included 10 fours and five sixes, put the match beyond doubt early into the Chargers’ reply.
Coming into the match, the odds could not have been more heavily stacked against the Chargers. They finished bottom of last year’s inaugural competition. Conversely, the Delhi Daredevils finished top of the table, going into the knockout stages.
The atmosphere at the SuperSport Park was tangible as openers Gautam Gambhir and David Warner took to the crease for the Devils, and the action did not disappoint. Ryan Harris came storming in to dismiss both men in the very first over.
With the Devils on the back foot, faith rested in the reliable figures of Virender Sehwag and Tillekeratne Dilshan. Both demonstrated their world class attacking capabilities, rallying to take the Devils to 83-2 at the halfway point. However, in the following over, Sehwag was given lbw after Andrew Symonds trapped him on his stumps.
Even with AB de Villiers and Dinesh Karthik on hand to assist with the run building, some consistent and disciplined bowling limited the favourites to a rather modest 153-8 at the end of the innings.
With the match firmly in the balance, captain Glichrist strode out to the crease with the same sort of determination that has made him such a feared One Day player for Australia over the years. He was not about to disappoint: Delhi were put to the sword in the very first over as Gilchrist hit five fours in the very first over.
This was followed shortly after by a 25 run over, including three sixes in a row, off the bowling of his Delhi counterpart – Sehwag. By the time spinner Amit Mishra finally removed Gilchrist; the tie looked beyond reprieve for the fancied Delhi team. Gilchrist’s fellow countryman, Andrew Symonds, went cheaply off Mishra’s canny bowling, but Deccan were marching unstoppably towards the final.
It was left to Rohit Sharma and Tirumalasetty Suman to guide the Chargers to a comfortable victory, with two overs to spare.
As the winning runs were hit, the elation on the face of Gilchrist was evident. Having turned back the years, with an attacking performance to rival some of his very finest for Australia, he had put the game beyond doubt before the Devils had had a chance to formulate any sort of counter-offensive.
The result will leave the Chargers buoyant, and confident that they can go on to produce the shock of the tournament -winning the final, against either Chennai or Bangalore. You would be wise not to bet against them. On the back of such a dominant performance, against the tournament favourites, confidence within the Deccan camp will be at an all-time high.
For Delhi, comes the chance to reflect on yet another season of consistent performances leading to an unconvincing anti-climax. They will lick their wounds, and come back all the better for it next season.
With Gilchrist firing on all cylinders, Deccan have every chance of being crowned the surprise IPL champions for 2009. With the typical Aussie gusto that has won him so many accolades on the international stage; he may well be adding the IPL to that list.
By Will Mathieson, Twenty20Blog.co.uk
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