Delhi Daredevils fall short by just one run after South African all-rounder takes team close with 32-ball 82* with eight big sixes
The pendulum swung many a time during the course of three hours after Delhi Daredevils skipper Zaheer Khan opted to chase the target on winning the toss. Zaheer obviously was hinting towards Ferozeshah Kotla's brown and dry pitch. But that left Suresh Raina-led visiting side with a daunting task of defending whatever total his team set because only three times have sides batting first won this season.
Though Zaheer lost the game at the, it was proved right in reading playing conditions and turf of his make-shift home. Delhi's crowd witnessed some lusty hitting by South African Chris Morris, during which he hit eight towering sixes for his 32-ball 82*, before going through a heartbreak of losing by just one run.
Chasing a 173-run target, Daredevils were almost out of the game after first four overs with the scoreboard showing 16/3. When young Rishabh Pant also lost his cool after giving some stability with his 20, there was hardly any hope of revival. But the crowd never expected this cameo from little known name Morris.
Having got just one chance to bat before Wednesday's game, Morris batting talent was even been hidden from his own teammates. It was then that Morris along with his senior country partner, JP Duminy, started not just the rebuilding process but also playing some breathtaking shots in the remaining 16 overs.
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The difference before these two Proteans joined hands in between could well be judged by this simple statistics that Gujarat scored the fastest fifty of this IPL seasons off just 23 balls, while Delhi crawled to the slowest fifty of the current season, from 59 deliveries.
Nevertheless, the South African duo not just repaired the shattered Daredevils' innings but raced to 87-run partnership in the next 6.3 overs. Morris treated all the Lions bowlers, except Praveen Kumar, equally hitting over all parts of the stadium. While Duminy was playing sheet anchor role, rotating most of the strike to his partner, then Morris all this while took just 17 deliveries to reach his half century.
In fact, when he selected Dwayne Smith for the special treatment in the 17th over of the game with three consecutive sixes, the match nearly looked over for the Lions. But, Duminy's wicket pegged down Daredevils chase a bit as next batsman Pawan Negi, a Rs 8.5 crore wonder, failed to live up to his team's expectations as many other times in the ongoing IPL season.
In the last over, hosts needed 14 runs to win with Morris on strike. James Faulkner miscalculation at covers gave more hopes to DD but by then pressure of winning probably got on to Morris. He swung his bat madly but Dwayne Bravo kept his cool to help his got top of the IPL table with fifth victory from six matches.
Delhi, on the other hand, were left ruing their chance and left with six points from five games.
Earlier, it was Smith, who had started the carnage, but McCullum was the first to reach his 50 in just 27 balls, with the help of five fours and three sixes. Such was the demolition act by the two batsmen that Gujarat raced away to 100 runs in 54 balls. The Gujarat openers were threatening to make the game the one-sided, but the introduction of South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir into the attack and Morris's return for his second spell completely changed the complexion of the match.
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