Deccan Chargers came back strongly after Friday’s defeat to score a 31-run win over the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday.
Having lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the opener on Friday, the defending champions scored a massive victory despite not practising at the MAC Stadium as the players weren’t allowed access on Saturday due to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s visit for the inauguration of the new Assembly complex.
CSK only managed 159 for nine against DC’s 190 for four. Dhoni opted for the batting time-out in the 15th over and by then the asking rate of 92 runs off 36 balls was indeed a tall order for the hosts.
With boundaries drying up except for an odd four or six the home batsmen were fighting an uphill task. While Deccan Chargers reached 100 off 12.1 overs for the loss of two wickets, Super Kings’ 100 came off 14.1 overs for the loss of five wickets. The brief heroics of Dhoni only delayed the inevitable for the hosts. Fall of wickets at regular intervals put the chase beyond them eventually.
Dhoni had to take inspiration from percussionist Sivamani, who plays with AR Rahman, in between overs. At the end of nine overs, CSK were on 59 for four against Deccan Chargers 69 for two. Both bowling sides opted for their time-out options at the end of the ninth over.
Sri Lankan Chaminda Vaas is a wily fox and he more than makes up for lack of pace with guile. Vaas put defending champions Chargers’ aspirations on track with a first spell of three wickets including Matthew Hayden.
The Australian had little opportunity to showcase the new ‘mongoose’ bat which he had said he would use strategically to power his strokes with a willow that has a long handle and a short blade.
Earlier, Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist won the toss and elected to bat. The atmosphere was electrifying as big time cricket was returning to Chennai after 14 months (MAC last hosted a match in December 2008 when India met England in a Test encounter).
Gilchrist walked out to open the innings with Laxman. The Australian took Sudeep Tyagi to task and almost threatened a run riot. Two sixes and four of consecutive balls had the crowds roaring and the cheer leaders dancing. Albie Morkel, the South African import, too was treated with disdain as Gilchrist launched into the offensive.
Dhoni mixed his bowlers frequently, rarely giving a bowler two overs from the same end. While Muttiah Muralitharan was introduced in the fourth over from the pavilion end, local spinner R Ashwin replaced Morkel from the Wallajah Road end in the fifth over. Ashwin foxed Gilchrist with a beautiful off spinner and the run out of Laxman due to an excellent throw by Raina put the brakes on Charges.
Foreign recruits Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa and Australian Andrew Symonds rebuilt the Chargers innings with patience, diligence and intelligence. They added 95 runs in 75 balls, before Rohit Sharma’s late burst gave the Hyderabad team a good total to defend.
The wicket looked easy as Gibbs, Symonds, Sharma and Suman were able to make some great shots. With Hayden expected to match Gilchrist’s pyrotechnics, the home spectators hoped for a great evening, but the show was spoilt by the early wickets of Vaas.
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