MS Dhoni is a dangerous customer when he leads a team in knock out stage. He has proved it time and again at various levels. All those who have taken him lightly in a crucial match have paid dearly. It was surprising to see Dhoni's India team-mate and 'bete noire' Virender Sehwag misreading the Man with Midas touch. Destiny had everything on Friday on Delhi Daredevil's side in the final qualifier of the IPL-5. Sehwag called the coin correctly only nullify the smiling lady luck by inviting Chennai Super Super Kings to bat on their home turf. Sehwag had a decent pool of players to choose from his playing eleven, but here he compounded his folly by leaving out the best bowler of the tournament and purple cap holder and making Sunny Gupta debut in the pressure match.
Virender Sehwag's logic was that he wanted to strengthen his batting. But, going by his logic India should play only batsmen so that they theoretically capable to chase down any score. What a bizarre logic! And, this comes from a person who wants to replace MSD as Team India skipper! By leaving out Morne Morkel, whom even the South African national team does think of dropping from the team, Sehwag lessened the psychological pressure on the opposition because they only had to encounter the pace of Umesh Yadav and had to guide the pace of Varun Aron. Spinners from DD were easily available to be hit all around the park. He did not employ his best spinner, again in the name of strengthening batting. What David Warner, Mahela Jayawardane, Ross Taylor, Naman Ojha and he, himself, cannot do, Sehwag expected Gupta, Pawan Negi and Andre Russel to do. Only a non-cricketing brain can justify this. Sehwag proved himself to be possessing one such brain on Friday night at Chepuk Stadium in Chennai.
Delhi Daredevils lost the contest even before the match began. And, CSK had entered the final even without facing a ball. The rest was a formality, which was displayed and performed by the Dhoni's men in a very entertaining and clinical manner. Murali Vijay's treatment to debutante Sunny Gupta's first two balls that happened to be the first balls of the actual semi-final set the tone for the match. Vijay hit two boundaries of the first two balls and he kept hitting many more like that throughout the innings till he fell just a centimetre short of remaining unbeaten on the last ball of the CSK innings. His 113 off just 58 balls was a masterpiece of elegant power-hitting. Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Dwyane Bravo made hey while sun was shining. The result was the highest innings score of the IPL-5. Chennai made 222 for five in 20 overs. Varun Aron bore the most severe wound on his credentials as limited over bowler. He became the most expensive bowler in the history of IPL by conceding 63 runs in 4 overs.
Delhi began to finish their innings. Sehwag did not come out to bat with David Warner, who went back into the hut cheaply. Sehwag came, lived dangerously and went cheaply for 3. Only resolute display from Delhi came from team's classiest batsman, Mahela Jayawardane, who did not have support whatsoever from a 'strengthened' batting. Delhi lost and humiliated by 86 runs as they folded out in just 16.5 overs.
Delhi Daredevils Vs Chennai Super Kings was a match between madness and methodology. No surprise that methodology came out with flying colours. After all, madness suits on crowd and methodology on executors (read players).
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