The Deccan Chargers’ red-hot form continued into their fourth match as well, as they beat the previous year’s runner-ups, the Chennai Super Kings by six wickets with three balls to spare.
The Chargers won the toss and elected to field first and had this decision vindicated when Parthiv Patel was claimed by ‘keeper Adam Gilchrist off Fidel Edwards in the very first over. Matthew Hayden continued with his belligerent form, where as Suresh Raina seemed to be regaining his lost touch, as the duo added 64 runs in less than seven overs. At this stage, a move that would have brought the oohs and aahs from the fans got rid of Raina; part-time spinner Rohit Sharma claiming this dismissal.
This signalled the arrival of M.S. Dhoni, who wasn’t able to get off the slow bowlers from his back and though he scored 22, it took him 22 deliveries to do so. His dismissal to Pragyan Ojha proved to be the turning point as at 102/2 in 12 overs, the Super Kings looked good for at least 180 runs.
Instead, Hayden followed soon after, and though Jacob Oram did play a cameo of 41(29), the others couldn’t support him enough and the team from Chennai ended at 20 runs short of their expectations at 165/6.
In reply, the Chargers went berserk on the back of some amazing hitting by Adam Gilchrist, who smashed three 6s in his 19-ball 44. Even before the first six overs had elapsed and allowed the captain to spread the field, the Chargers had raced to 67 before the wicket of Gilli fell to – another part-timer – Raina.
VVS Laxman fell soon after to Raina – for 4 – but first Sharma and then Dwayne Smith helped Herschelle Gibbs add some valuable runs. Gibbs, who is going through the form of his life, did not lose his calm even once as wickets tumbled around him.
At 130/4, Smith had just departed, and the Chargers needed 36 runs off 28 balls, and it could have been anyone’s game. But Gibbs found company in a rather calm-looking greenhorn Azhar Bhilakia and the duo guided their team to, what turned out to be an easy win.
Gibbs’ 56-ball 69 earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. With this win, Chargers are at eight points where as Chennai remain at three from five matches.