A/N: I want to increase the pace until the World Cup 2011
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The IPL juggernaut rolled on. The victory in Mumbai was just the opening salvo. The Deccan Chargers, the "Silver Storm," packed their bags and began the grueling travel schedule that defined the league. Hotels, airports, stadiums, and the relentless pressure of performance.
Match 2
Opponent: Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk.
Date: March 14, 2010.
The sea of yellow at Chepauk was intimidating. The humidity was suffocating.
MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat.
1st Innings
Matthew Hayden walked out with the Mongoose bat. He looked like a gladiator.
Siddanth Deva took the new ball.
Over 1: Deva kept it tight, swinging it away from Hayden. 4 runs.
But at the other end, RP Singh leaked runs. Hayden and Suresh Raina dismantled the attack.
Deva returned in the 14th Over.
Raina was on 45.
Deva bowled a cutter.
Raina tried to loft it over the covers but mistimed it to Herschelle Gibbs.
WICKET: S. Raina c Gibbs b Deva 45.
However, Dhoni walked in and bludgeoned a quickfire 30.
CSK Finished: 165/5.
Deva Figures: 4-0-28-1.
2nd Innings
Chasing 166 on a turning Chepauk track was never easy.
Gilchrist fell early to Albie Morkel.
VVS Laxman was struggling against Muttiah Muralitharan.
Deva walked in at 30/1.
He realized quickly that power hitting wouldn't work. The ball was gripping.
He played a mature innings, working the ball with soft hands.
He built a 60-run stand with Rohit Sharma.
But the required rate climbed. 12 runs per over needed.
Over 16: Deva tried to accelerate against L. Balaji. He hit a six over long-on but perished next ball, caught at deep mid-wicket.
Deva Score: 48 (38 balls).
The lower order collapsed against the spin of Jakati.
DC Finished: 147/8.
Gilchrist clapped his hands. "Tough one, lads. Spin killed us. But Deva, good fight in the middle. We move on. Mumbai next."
Match 3
Opponent: Mumbai Indians (MI)
Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.
Date: March 17, 2010.
This was personal. Sachin Tendulkar's home ground. The Mumbai crowd was hostile.
1st Innings
Mumbai Indians batted first. Sachin Tendulkar was in sublime form, scoring 60.
Siddanth Deva was brought on in the middle overs to stop Kieron Pollard.
Over 15: Pollard on strike. The giant West Indian.
Deva decided to test him with a bouncer.
Pollard hooked. Top edge. The ball flew into the night sky.
Rohit Sharma ran back from point and took a skier.
WICKET: K. Pollard c Rohit b Deva 10.
MI posted 172/7. A challenging total.
2nd Innings
Gilchrist (15) gave a quick start but fell.
DC: 50/1.
Deva (No. 3)
This was a power game.
Lasith Malinga was steaming in. His yorkers were deadly.
Then Gibbs fell for 20.
Over 12: Deva faced Malinga.
Malinga bowled a toe-crusher.
[System Skill: Chronos Perception]
Deva's eyes widened. He saw the release. He jammed his bat down. The ball squeezed past the slip cordon for four.
Next ball, Malinga went short. Deva pulled it flat over square leg for SIX.
Deva and Symonds added 90 runs.
Symonds fell for 45.
Equation: 10 runs needed off 6 balls.
Deva was on strike. Zaheer Khan to bowl.
Ball 1: Deva stepped out. Lofted over extra cover. FOUR.
Ball 2: Low full toss. Flicked to deep mid-wicket. 2 Runs.
Ball 3: Wide yorker. Deva opened the face. Sliced past the point. FOUR.
Deva Score: 72 (45 balls).*
Man of the Match: Siddanth Deva.
Danny Morrison: "The Devil haunts Mumbai again! He stood tall against Malinga and Zaheer and took his team home! What a finisher!"
Match 4:
Opponent: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)
Venue: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.
Date: March 19, 2010.
Cuttack was humid and loud. The Chargers had a massive following here.
Yuvraj Singh (playing for KXIP) walked out for the toss with Gilchrist.
"Watch out, Sid," Yuvraj winked at Deva during warm-ups. "I know your weak spot."
"You have to hit the ball first, Yuvi paaji," Deva grinned.
1st Innings:
Deccan batted first.
Gilchrist failed (5). Monish Mishra failed (10).
DC: 30/2.
Deva and Rohit Sharma rebuilt.
It wasn't fluent. The pitch was slow.
Deva anchored, scoring 55 off 50 balls.
Andrew Symonds exploded at the end, scoring 50 off 25.
DC Posted: 170/7.
2nd Innings:
KXIP was cruising at 100/2. Mahela Jayawardene was set.
Yuvraj Singh walked in.
Gilchrist threw the ball to Deva.
Over 14: Deva vs Yuvraj.
Ball 1: Yuvraj drove through covers for four. "Nice ball, Sid!"
Ball 2: Deva bowled a slower bouncer. Yuvraj missed the pull.
Ball 3: 148kph Yorker.
Yuvraj was late. The ball crashed into the base of off-stump.
WICKET: Yuvraj Singh b Deva 6.
Deva didn't celebrate wildly. He just smiled at Yuvi. Yuvraj shook his head, acknowledging the pace.
That wicket turned the game.
KXIP choked.
DC Won by 6 Runs.
Deva Figures: 4-0-22-2.
Match 5:
Opponent: Delhi Daredevils (DD)
Venue: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.
Date: March 21, 2010.
1st Innings:
Deccan batted first. The top order collapsed against Dirk Nannes.
0/1 (Gilly). 15/2 (Laxman).
Deva walked in and played a different game.
While others struggled, he found gaps.
He scored a brilliant 65 off 48 balls, dragging the team to 155.
Without him, DC wouldn't have crossed 100.
2nd Innings: The Sehwag Storm
155 was never enough against Virender Sehwag.
Sehwag was in a murderous mood. He didn't care about Deva's pace or Chaminda Vaas's swing.
He smashed Deva for 20 runs in one over (4, 4, 6, 4, 2).
It was a humbling moment for Deva.
"Even the best get hit," Gilchrist consoled him at mid-off.
Sehwag scored 80 off 40 balls.
DD chased it down in the 16th over.
Deva Figures: 3-0-45-0.
Match 6:
Opponent: Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Venue: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Date: March 26, 2010.
Result: Deccan Chargers Won by 12 Runs.
Shane Warne led the Royals. The master tactician.
1st Innings
Deccan batted first. The pitch was a dustbowl.
Warne spun a web.
Gilchrist (10), Gibbs (15), Symonds (2) all fell to spin.
Deva tried to counter-attack but was stumped off Warne for 25.
Rohit Sharma played a gem, scoring 45.
DC Posted: 148/9. Below par.
2nd Innings:
148 was tough to defend against Yusuf Pathan and Shane Watson.
But Deva was angry after the Delhi game.
Over 1: Deva to Michael Lumb.
150kph. Inswinger.
Plumb LBW.
WICKET: M. Lumb lbw b Deva 0.
Over 5: Deva to Naman Ojha.
Bouncer. Top edge to fine leg.
WICKET: N. Ojha c RP Singh b Deva 12.
But Yusuf Pathan was still there. He was hitting sixes.
Equation: 20 runs needed off 12 balls.
Gilchrist took a gamble. He gave the 19th over to Deva.
Deva vs Yusuf.
Ball 1: Dot. (Wide yorker).
Ball 2: Single.
Ball 3: Abhishek Jhunjhunwala on strike. Castled.
WICKET: A. Jhunjhunwala b Deva 5.
Ball 5: Yusuf on strike. Deva bowled the Knuckle Ball.
Yusuf swung hard. He didn't pick the change in pace (118kph).
He spooned it straight up. Deva ran forward and took the catch off his own bowling.
WICKET: Y. Pathan c & b Deva 35.
That was the game.
DC Won by 12 Runs.
Man of the Match: Siddanth Deva (4 wickets for 18 runs).
Ravi Shastri: "Cometh the hour, cometh the man! After an expensive outing against Delhi, Deva returns with a match-winning 4-wicket haul! He destroyed the Royals!"
Match 7:
Opponent: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Venue: VCA Stadium, Nagpur.
Date: March 28, 2010.
Result: Deccan Chargers Won by 20 Runs.
1st Innings:
Deccan batted first.
Gilchrist smashed 30 off 15.
Deva walked in.
He faced Jacques Kallis.
It was Mirror vs. Image.
Kallis bowled a heavy ball. Deva defended with the Kallis Technique.
Kallis smiled. Deva smiled back.
Then Deva attacked.
He drove Kallis through covers.
He pulled Dale Steyn for six.
Deva scored a rapid 45 off 28 balls before he got out.
T. Suman scored 78.
DC Posted: 181/7.
2nd Innings
RCB started well. Kallis and Pandey added 50.
But Deva made the breakthrough in the field.
Manish Pandey played a shot to mid-off and called for a quick single.
Deva swooped on the ball. One hand pickup.
He threw it while airborne. Direct hit at the bowler's end.
WICKET: M. Pandey run out (Deva) 25.
Harsha Bhogle: "Bullseye! What an athlete! He is everywhere! Batting, bowling, and now fielding!"
The run-out panicked RCB.
Robin Uthappa tried to hit out and was caught off Pragyan Ojha.
Deva came back in the death to bowl to Virat Kohli (RCB).
Deva vs Virat.
Deva bowled wide yorkers. Virat couldn't get under them.
Deva conceded just 6 runs in the 18th over.
DC Won by 20 Runs.
Wins: 5 (KKR, MI, KXIP, RR, RCB).
Losses: 2 (CSK, DD).
Points: 10.
Position: Top of the Table.
Siddanth Deva Stats (After 7 Games):
Runs: ~380 Runs. (Average: 63. Strike Rate: 145).
Wickets: 14 Wickets. (Purple Cap Contender).
Man of the Match Awards: 3.
The team bus was buzzing on the way back to the hotel.
Adam Gilchrist stood at the front with a microphone (karaoke style).
"Top of the table, boys! Who's the best team in the land?"
"CHARGERS!" the team roared.
Deva sat near the window. Rohit Sharma sat next to him, eating a packet of chips.
"You tired?" Rohit asked.
"A bit," Deva admitted. "7 games in 16 days. It's intense."
"We have a break now," Rohit said. "3 days off before we play KKR again in Kolkata. Rest up."
Deva checked his phone.
A notification from Nexus Interactive.
[Subject: Project Sugar Beta Live]
[Message: Daily Active Users crossed 100,000 in 48 hours. Server load at 40%.]
Deva smiled.
He closed his eyes.
The first half of the IPL was dominated.
Now came the business end. The race to the playoffs.