Shahid Afridi landed here on Monday evening and with Gilchrist and Symonds already there, the home side could light all the fireworks against the Daredevils
HYDERABAD: Shahid Afridi landed here on Monday evening and with Gilchrist and Symonds already there, the home side could light all the fireworks against the Daredevils
The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad is a venue where the shorter format of the league has been welcomed with open arms. The LB Stadium played host to the Indian Cricket League, the pioneering faction in the war of the shortest format of the game, and there was a full house on most days.
On Tuesday, the Visaka Stadium, a few kilometres away from the LB Stadium will play host to the first Indian Premier League game at the home of the Deccan Chargers and by the looks of it the stadium should be packed liked sardines when VVS Laxman’s team takes on Virender Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils.
A couple of weeks ago the city had made the Lahore Badshahs feel at home as the all Pakistan team got healthy support during the ICL games. On match eve Laxman said that one Shahid Afridi should make his way into the Hyderabad final eleven on Tuesday. If he feels fresh and fit then the marauding Pakistani will play and undoubtedly the support for the home side will swell.
Virender Sehwag has enough to worry about even without the presence of Afridi. The time and date of Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik is still not confirmed, so Sehwag will in all probability do without the all-rounder.
In Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist, his bowlers will be up against the fiercest hitters in the game and the 70-yard boundaries at the stadium will be too small for these Australians.
However, Sehwag knows that the Daredevils have an advantage going into this game.
“All players are under pressure to perform with all the money being spent on them and every team wants to win. We have won our first game by nine wickets and the Deccan Chargers are yet to get to win. So we have a psychological advantage,” Sehwag added.
Both captains believed that the wicket prepared by an ‘expert’ brought in from Hong Kong will yield runs here. “This looks like a good wicket for T20 cricket, Laxman said. His side lost to Kolkata Knight Riders on a minefield of a wicket at the Eden Gardens in a match
that was disrupted towards the end when the floodlights partially failed on Sunday.
Laxman, however, put up a brave front. He had termed the quality of the wicket at Eden Gardens as shocking. On match eve he defended the team.
“We showed great spirit to give the Knight Riders a good fight,” he said. The Daredevils will provide a fair test for the home team.
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