Glorious Gambhir, precise McGrath ensure Delhi win (Gautam Gambhir Innings 86(54)) [Dehli Daredevils] [30/04/08]

Gautam Gambhir led a charge of the home brigade while Australian great Glenn McGrath turned out to be a lethal one-man army as Delhi scored an impressive 10-run victory over Bangalore in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Wednesday.


Gambhir struck a robust 86 to help Delhi post a daunting total of 191-5 and McGrath grabbed 4-29 to restrict the opposition as the home team registered their third win in four matches.


Put in to bat on a good batting strip at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground, Delhi did not have to look beyond their home grown heroes as they notched up a huge total and then piled up the pressure on a struggling team that had won just one out of four previous matches.


Gambhir was the pick of the batsmen, scoring a superbly-paced 86. The southpaw timed the ball beautifully and was equally at ease playing both pace and spin, his 11 fours and one six bearing testimony to his fluency during the 54-ball knock. He was out, caught in the deep, when he failed to control a pull shot off Zaheer Khan but only after he was involved in two useful partnerships with Shikhar Dhawan (50) and skipper Virender Sehwag (24).


Gambhir was in full flow with Dhawan at the other end. Not only were the two left-handers quick to dispatch anything loose but also made some good deliveries look really bad, once together taking 19 runs off an over from veteran left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi.


Dhawan struck three sixes and four boundaries during his 33-ball innings and fell to a brilliant one-handed catch by Bangalore skipper Rahul Dravid off Jacques Kallis. The former India skipper showed superb reflexes in diving to his right at mid-wicket.


Dhawan’s dismissal was followed by those of Shoaib Malik and Dinesh Karthik even as Gambhir hung on to ensure a big total.


Earlier, Delhi had got off to a quick start, Gambhir and Sehwag taking the team past 50 in the fifth over itself. Sehwag, who struck 24 off 12 deliveries with one six and three fours, was run out just when it seemed that the home side would run away with the match right at the beginning.


On the other hand, Bangalore got just the kind of start a team dreads while chasing a big total. McGrath had Praveen Kumar caught at mid wicket and followed it up with the important scalps of Wasim Jaffer and a dangerous looking Ross Taylor as Bangalore were reduced to 48-3 in the fifth over.


Jacques Kallis (54 off 44) and Rahul Dravid (38 off 30) then added 87 runs for the fourth wicket before Dravid too fell in trying to go after McGrath, who was brought back earlier than expected in a bid to break the threatening partnership.


Mark Boucher then struck two fours and two sixes in a brisk 31 off 17 balls but the match was all but lost by then.


Delhi made one change in their playing eleven with Daniel Vettori getting his second game of the competition. The Kiwi skipper will be leaving for the England tour after this game. Farveez Maharoof, who had an average outing in Delhi's previous game had to sit out, while there was no place for AB de Villiers, who joined the team after their loss to Mohali on Sunday.


Bangalore made two changes as R Vinay Kumar and Sunil Joshi came in place of Bharat Chipli and Balachandran Akhil.


Delhi Daredevils: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Shoaib Malik, Manoj Tiwary, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rajat Bhatia, Daniel Vettori, Yo Mahesh, Mohammad Asif, Glenn McGrath.


Bangalore Royal Challengers: Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid (capt), Ross Taylor Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Mark Boucher (wk), Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Sunil Joshi, Dale Steyn, R Vinay Kumar.