Nawab of Najafgarh – Virendar Sehwag
The Nawab of Najafgarh – Virendar Sehwag – proved that cricket need not be a team game always! His individual brilliance at the top of the order has given Delhi Daredevils the daring lifeline to leapfrog into contention for the qualifiers. The other important thing to note is that Deccan Chargers are displaced and discharged from IPL 2011 and now they will fight hard not to end up at the bottom of the table!
It is not often you see a home side lose the favoritism in its backyard, but the Deccan Chargers at home have not won enough games and have not utilized the home conditions to their advantage. DC has lost most of the times it has played at Deccan. The fact of the matter is, this time they did so many things well and where the real hot favorites till the end of 7th over when they had DD reeling at 25 for 3. Sehwag opened himself in the Malhotra over when he picked up 23 runs which opened the flood gates and from then on it was all “one – way traffic”
Little can be argued on the fielding prowess of top teams of IPL. Mumbai won the game against Chennai purely because of their fielding. Chennai’s winning ability at home is definitely attributed to their utilization of home conditions and their ability to save runs and take the catches. “Catches win matches” can be the secret statement that Sanga should have told his mates. The two drops of Sehwag not only gave the lifeline for their win but also gave them the much needed confidence to believe in themselves that they can win!
Duminy was brilliant at the end, picking sixes at will. But the prowess he exhibited was hampered by the poor out – fielding and catching of the team. DC looked discharged right through the 10 games that they have played and it was reflected in their inability to secure a back to back victory. Now they are at the end of the barrel and have no hopes of qualifying even if they win their next 4 games. The only competitor now for the DC team is the Pune warriors who are at the bottom. DC and Pune will compete within themselves not to end up as the 10th team of the tournament.
DC – a good team with a great captain – has the potential but was let down by the foreign players (as claimed by Sanga) and by the fielding efforts. Let’s hope they can hang on to their chances next year!
Tags: Cricket, DC, DD, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, IPL, IPL 2011, Nawab Of Najafgarh, Virendar Sehwag
