| Daredevils from Delhi |
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| Wednesday, 15 April 2009 | |
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These two are the openers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 (T20) team, Delhi Daredevils, and for the people of Delhi, are like their own sons. So whenever they play for the country or for the Delhi Daredevils, ‘saadi Dilli pagal ho jati hai'(Delhi goes berserk). Yes, we're talking about none other than the amazing duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir! Whenever Team India is playing, the opposing team can't help but be a little tensed. The cause of this tension is, of course, the superb Indian batting line up, but, first and foremost, the opening pair of ‘Viru' and Gautam. It doesn't matter how long they stay on the field or the number of balls they face. The amount of damage they do within that time is the cause of concern for the opposite team. In the last season of the IPL, the Delhi duo contributed 920 runs and achieved the title of being the ‘best opening pair' in the tournament. Let us see why both these players are troublemakers for the opponent team. First, let's take the case of Virender Sehwag. Since his debut, Viru has been one of the most dangerous players in the cricketing world, and he proved it even in the shorter format of the game, T20. He scored an impressive 406 runs at an average of 33.83 in 14 matches. With a strike rate of 184.54, he didn't spare any bowler throughout the tournament. The opposite team's captain was always short of ideas as to how to deal with him. He also had a good series in New Zealand, but was criticised for throwing away his wicket, which cost the Indian team some crucial matches. Viru's opening partner, Gautam Gambhir, has also shown tremendous potential. He is like Hrithik Roshan, who can play any kind of role (be it Test, ODI, or T20). For the last one and a half years, Gambhir has been having a superb time on the crease. In the first season of the IPL, he came second only to Shaun Marsh in the highest run-scorers' list. He scored a total of 534 runs at an average of 41.07 and a strike rate of 140.89. He was the most successful batsman for his team, Delhi Daredevils. Even in New Zealand he played a tremendous series. With the form he is currently in, it would be very difficult to get him out. This duo from Delhi had a superb one and a half years and is still going strong. The opponent teams, however, must be hoping that they don't continue like this, or else it will be a nightmare for them. Merinews |