Bowlers set up easy win for Bushrangers by Rohit Sakunia

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Scorecard:	Delhi Daredevils v Victoria
Player:	CL White, RJ Quiney, TM Dilshan, G Gambhir
Event:	Champions League 2009/10

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DateLine: 9th October 2009

 

It was a day of low scores at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi. The Delhi Daredevils it seemed was not watching wickets tumble for both the sides in the previous game at the ground. The skipper Gautam Gambhir said at the toss that he was expecting 140 to be a good total but then when it came to their batting, especially the top two, they came out seriously looking for a 200 score in eyes.

 

The end result was that disciplined, straight bowling by Victoria Bushrangers game them wickets and constant loss of wickets made sure the Daredevils never had momentum on their side. They could only compile 98 in their twenty overs and the Bushrangers just needed somebody to show a little flash of brilliance. Opener Rob Quiney provided just that and the Bushrangers started the CL T20 with points under their belt.

 

Chasing a tricky 99 to win on a track that looked a dust-bowl, Victoria Bushrangers did not start all that gracefully, scoring only 12 runs off their first three overs. They had the time to bide though considering the chase was not too huge. Finally the opening bowlers started to bowl a few loose ones which were taken to full effect by Rob Quiney. He despatched both Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra to the fence, the latter was even smacked for a huge six over long-on.

 

This forced Gautam Gambhir to bring Amit Mishra within the powerplay. His first over did not impress much as Quiney continued to rule the roost hitting him for a massive six off the fourth ball of the over. Dilshan was brought into the attack in the next over but by then most of the damage was done. Mishra returned for his second over and cleaned up Quiney (40 off 33 balls), but not before the left-hander had smacked him for a six and a boundary in the same over.

 

During all this while Hodge struggled and that was ended by Dilshan when he sent him back courtesy another clean bowled, the fifth of the game thus far. If there was any semblance of Daredevils fightback that was ended by a Cameron White-David Hussey combination which took the team to safety. By the time Rajat Bhatia struck to send back David Hussey, the score read 78 for three with the Bushrangers needing only 21 in the last seven overs with 7 wickets in hand.

 

Aiden Blizzard and White then combined to finish the formalities as Bushrangers crushed the Daredevils by 7 wickets and more than 3 overs to spare.

 

Earlier, a supreme bowling effort by Victoria Bushrangers made sure the Delhi Daredevils could not even register a three figure score batting first. The bowling was such a class effort that it seemed the home side was playing on an alien turf. The track was uneven and run scoring was definitely difficult but still a 120 seemed gettable when Gautam Gambhir won the toss and decided to bat first and comeback man Virender Sehwag started to bludgeon the Bushrangers to all corners of the park.

 

The early signs of demon in the pitch were seen when Gambhir headed back to the pavilion in the third over. Shane Harwood's delivery kept low and Gambhir's slow reaction in getting his bat down in time, meant his off stump was sent for a walk.

 

Virender Sehwag though was least perturbed and characteristically smashed boundaries at will. His delightful innings though was shortlived as after hitting a towering four over over mid-off off McKay in the fifth over, Sehwag was brilliantly caught and bowled. He mistimed one trying to smack it over the leg-side and McKay making the extra effort in his follow-through, took a stunner, inches off the ground. The same bowler then dealt another crucial blow in his next over, as Owais Shah was caught behind for a duck.

 

Tillakaratne Dilshan to start off didn't look a man we have all known off late to be a swashbuckler. He took seven balls to get off the mark. The fielding of the Bushrangers was another feature in their attack. The singles were stopped, the twos denied and there was the occasional run-out as well. Karthik lost his wicket to one such great effort as a moment of indecision between him and Dilshan enabled Victoria skipper Cameron White and McDonald combine for further damage to the Delhi outfit.

 

If their was one time Delhi desperately needed Dilshan to play the anchor role, this was it but McKay, who looked to have developed a liking for the conditions sent him back, courtesy a delivery which did nothing but kept straight. Dilshan jumped down the track and missed it to see his stumps distubed.

 

Mithun Manhas also tried hard but coupled with a suspected hamstring injury and the top-order failure he hardly made an impact before being sent back for for 25.