Deccan Chargers Script a Dream End to IPL 2

Deccan Chargers had the last laugh and they put smiles on the faces of thousands of their fans around the world. I am sure the city of Hyderabad would have erupted into celebrations that would have continued into the wee hours. A true champion team with the metal would only have clinched the game in the conditions that had a bit of everything for the bowlers and the batsmen. Having said that the fortunes swung from one team to the other with every dot ball . Last evening at the Bull Ring, Wanderers, every wicket had its weight in Gold. The game was not over till the last bowl was bowled.

While I was heading home, a local Radio station aired the result of the toss. The moment I heard that Anil won the toss and put my team The Deccan Chargers in, it reminded me of a similar decision made by Sourav at the final of 2003 World Cup at the same venue. On that day too I was heading home to watch the game and it was Imran Khan who was speaking on a local radio station in the UAE. He made a very important statement on that day -'never chase a world cup'. I followed those words through the years and was convinced that when you are in a final, never chase a title. Not that you don't win, but the chances are you will succumb to pressure more often than not. This is especially true with most teams with the exception of the Aussies, who in my opinion are equally vulnerable these days. As an ardent fan of the Chargers, I was inclined to remember that statement from Imran Khan and wished it comes true after the next three and a half hours. Probably, that is where Anil and Co went wrong. In my opinion that decision to put opposition in was the first sign of pressure and team captains in the subcontinent try and do that for reasons better known to them. Remember, when Sanath Jayasuriya was on top of his game in the 1996 World Cup, Azhar and Co decided to put Lankans in during the Semi Final game at the Eden Gardens? Well, that game had to be called off due to crowd trouble as Indians crumbled poorly. Vinod Kambli walking in tears probably started his acting career in bollywood! Clive Lloyd awarded that game to the Lankans who eventually went on to win the title at the Gaddafi stadium beating the Aussies.

The Royal Challengers however wanted to change all that with acute strategy of Anil getting himself on in the very first over to get Gilly early on. He succeeded in not only getting his wicket in the 3rd ball of the final but created tremendous pressure on the Chargers right from the word go. In my earlier blog, I had concluded by stating that Gilly must have a plan for Symmo and Rohit just in case he does not fire himself. The manner in which Herche, Symmo and Rohit played, it was evident that they knew what they had to do. Rahul dropping Symmo was probably dropping the IPL. I would say 30 odd runs is like a fifty in a low scoring game. Symmo capitalised on the chance he got and made quickwire 33 of 21 balls. But for his own misfortune, he would have made the Challengers pay much more than that, in which case the game would have been one sided. Herche was at his unnatural self but had to play the role of the anchor in scoring his 53 invaluable runs. Just that, it was surprising that he was not on strike even for one ball in the last over! His role in the last over appeared to be that of a sprinter converting all the ones into two's.

The surface was making it tough for the batsmen and favored the slow bowlers. During the strategy break, I would presume that Chargers would have decided that 150 was a defendable score. Falling short of that target and closing at 143 wouldn't have pleased them neither their fans. However, there is a simple logic in cricket. Once you have put runs on the board, the opposition has to get it. Doesn't matter at what pace one gets it. Gilly and some of his senior colleagues knew that.

Royal Challengers also had their task set out. It was obvious that Kallis, Pandey and Van De Merwe were going to target the bowlers. Once they were gone, it was surprising to see them succumb to pressure. All other batsmen looked out of sorts. Some wayward bowling by our Chargers also eased the pressure in the middle overs. The young guns in the Chargers team had their spirits high and they threw themselves at everything. A moment of blip was when Gilly asked Harris to bowl the 19th over. I was convinced that this could backfire espeically when Robin pulled him for a six in the very first ball. However, the catch by Harmit Singh in the last bowl of that over gave re-assurance that the Chargers meant business and they would not give in easily. Robin is a much hyped cricketer, but does not perform when it matters the most. He along with Sreesanth are the characters of the game that strive on hype rather than performance. Like good cricketers have one bad day at the office, these two have one good day at the office and on other occassion offer mediocre performances. These guys are doing no favor for themselves by their on field conduct and or performance. Robin had 6 balls to score and wasted most of it. Anil's body language said it all. RP was a smart act. He could out-think Robin in the last over and Challengers paid the price losing by 6 runs.

A perfect final, with fortunes swaying, but in the end it was chargers who proved they were mentally tougher and had the burning desire to make their presence count. Not only they got their team name etched on that IPL trophy, they had Gilly picked as player of the tournament and RP winning the purple cap for the most number of wickets. For those who thought that Deccan Chargers were a ordinary team, these awards must convince them that Chargers were the team to beat in IPL 2. More so, if some have felt that Challengers gifted the game to Chargers, I would say that is a self assuring excuse. The sports headlines in the news papers would undoubtedly read Chargers Won! The only fact that would stay on is the game was a close finish. Well, that is what fans and spectators want in a 120 ball a side extravaganza. Both teams entertained the cricketing world and we we cannot take that away from them.

A great end to the IPL 2. We would love to see the Chargers coming once again in front of their fans at the Champions League in October and then into the next season of IPL 3 in India.