The SuperSport Park in Centurion was bathed in the crisp, high-altitude sunshine of the South African afternoon. The air crackled with the kind of tension reserved only for knockout cricket. It was May 22, 2009. The first Semi-Final of the IPL.
Delhi Daredevils vs. Deccan Chargers.
The pre-match show on Sony Max was in full swing. The studio, a glass box overlooking the ground, was buzzing with debate.
"Welcome back to Extraa Innings!" Gaurav Kapur chirped, adjusting his tie. "The league stage is history. The slate is wiped clean. Today, the table-toppers are, Deccan Chargers against the resurgent Delhi Daredevils, who are in 4th place. Let's look at the matchup."
The screen flashed the Head-to-Head stats.
Matches Played: 4
Delhi Won: 4
Deccan Won: 0
"It is one-way traffic," Ajay Jadeja said, shaking his head. "Delhi has beaten them twice this season. Sehwag and Gambhir have the psychological edge. They chased down 148 effortlessly just a few weeks ago."
"But look at the form guide," Harsha Bhogle countered, pointing at his laptop. "Deccan has won five of their last six. And they have the tournament's MVP. Siddanth Deva. The Orange Cap holder. The man with 708 runs and 22 wickets. If he fires, history doesn't matter."
"Deva is a phenomenon," Navjot Singh Sidhu boomed, his turban a vibrant orange matching the cap in question. "But my friend, one swallow does not make a summer! Delhi has firepower! Sehwag! Gambhir! Warner! Dilshan! De Villiers! It is a nuclear arsenal."
"Predictions?" Gaurav asked.
Jadeja: "Delhi. Too strong at the top order."
Bhogle: "Delhi. They have the wood on Deccan."
Sidhu: "The Daredevils will dare and win!"
Danny Morrison (Guest): "Double D's for me, mate! Sehwag is due!"
Gaurav turned to Ravi Shastri, who was standing with a microphone, ready to head down for the toss.
"Ravi? You're the lone wolf?"
Shastri looked into the camera, his sunglasses reflecting the studio lights.
"This is a semi-final," Shastri's voice rumbled. "Form goes out the window. Pressure comes in. Deccan has been fighting for their lives for weeks. They are battle-hardened. Gilchrist is hungry. And that young man, Deva... he has the 'big match' temperament. I'm going with the Deccan Chargers."
The Toss
Adam Gilchrist and Virender Sehwag stood in the middle. The coin went up.
"Heads," Sehwag called.
It was tails.
"We'll have a bowl," Gilchrist said instantly, a steely glint in his eyes. "There's a bit of moisture in the surface. We want to use the new ball."
Sehwag shrugged. "We wanted to bat anyway. Put runs on the board in a big game."
In the huddle, Gilchrist was intense. "They think they own us. They think it's going to be like the league games. RP, you've got the new rock. Swing it. Sid, you're on from the other end. Tight lines."
The First Innings
"Out come the umpires, and out come the Chargers," Harsha Bhogle said. "And look at this opening pair for Delhi. David Warner and Gautam Gambhir. Explosive."
Over 1:
RP Singh, the Purple Cap holder, marked his run-up.
Ball 1: Short and wide. Warner slashed. Caught at point by Gibbs.
WICKET 1: D. Warner c. Gibbs b. RP Singh 0.
"WHAT A START!" Shastri roared. "First ball! The dangerous Warner is gone! Gibbs swallows it like a morning vitamin! Deccan is up and running!"
Virender Sehwag walked out at number 3 at the non-striker's end.
Ball 6: RP Singh swung it back in. Gambhir, looking to drive, nicked it to Gilchrist.
WICKET 2: G. Gambhir c. Gilchrist b. RP Singh 0.
DD: 0 for 2 (1 Over).
"Unbelievable scenes!" Danny Morrison screamed. "The Daredevils are shell-shocked! Two ducks for two openers! The Chargers are all over them!"
Over 2
Siddanth Deva took the ball. The pressure was immense. He had to back up RP's start. Sehwag was on strike.
Ball 1: Siddanth ran in. 145kph outswinger. Sehwag watched it closely and left it alone.
Ball 2: 148kph back of a length. Sehwag defended solidly.
"Good discipline from the youngster," Gavaskar noted. "He isn't getting carried away. He knows Sehwag likes width. He is keeping it tight on the off-stump."
Siddanth bowled six perfect deliveries. Fast, accurate, cramping the batsmen.
He gave 3 runs in the over.
He returned for the 4th Over.
Dilshan tried to break the shackles with a scoop. Siddanth saw it and fired a wide yorker. Dot.
He conceded just 8 runs in his first two overs.
DD: 25 for 2 (6 Overs).
The Counter-Attack
But Delhi had class. Sehwag and Dilshan decided to counter-punch.
Once the ball stopped swinging, Sehwag unleashed. He cut RP Singh for six. Dilshan scooped Scott Styris.
They built a partnership. 50 runs. Then 80.
The score moved to 85 for 2 in 11 overs. The danger was back. Sehwag was looking ominous on 39.
Gilchrist threw the ball to Siddanth.
"Break this, Sid. Sehwag is setting up for a big one."
Over 12: The Deception
Siddanth stood at the top of his mark. Sehwag was waiting, bat tapping.
He hit me in the league stage, Siddanth's mind recalled. He likes pace. I won't give it to him.
Ball 1: Siddanth ran in hard. Arm speed fast.
Sehwag saw the aggressive run-up. He prepared for the 150kph thunderbolt. He cleared his front leg, ready to launch it over the covers.
Siddanth rolled his fingers. The 110kph Slower Ball.
Sehwag was deceived. He was through the shot way too early. His bottom hand came off the handle.
The ball ballooned high in the air towards mid-off.
Siddanth didn't move. He just watched.
Rohit Sharma settled under it.
Catch taken.
WICKET 3: V. Sehwag c. Rohit b. Deva 39.
"HE'S DONE HIM IN!" Shastri shouted. "The change of pace! The oldest trick in the book, executed with perfection! Sehwag was halfway through his swing before the ball arrived! Siddanth Deva breaks the stand! That is the wicket Deccan needed!"
The Death Overs
Dilshan fell soon after. AB de Villiers (Delhi) tried to reverse sweep and was LBW.
Delhi was unravelling.
Over 18:
Siddanth came back for his final over. Dinesh Karthik was trying to accelerate.
Ball 3: Siddanth bowled a 152kph yorker. Karthik dug it out.
Ball 4: Siddanth bowled the Wobble Seam at 145kph.
Karthik tried to ramp it. The ball didn't rise as much as he expected. It took the edge and flew to the short third man.
WICKET 4: D. Karthik c. RP Singh b. Deva 15.
"Clinical!" Bhogle praised. "He mixes his pace, he hits his lengths. 2 wickets for just 24 runs in a high-pressure semi-final. He has been the standout bowler."
Delhi scrambled to 153 for 8.
It was a defendable total in a semi-final, but Deccan had the momentum.
The Second Innings
154 to win. A place in the final is at stake.
Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs walked out.
Dirk Nannes took the new ball for Delhi.
Over 1:
Nannes bowled fast.
Ball 1: Gibbs tried to drive on the up. The ball swung late.
Edged. Gone.
WICKET 1: H. Gibbs c. Karthik b. Nannes 0.
DC: 0 for 1.
"Hello! Drama in the first over again!" Morrison yelled. "Gibbs goes for a golden duck! The Daredevils are fighting! Game on!"
Siddanth Deva walked out at number 3.
He met Gilchrist in the middle.
"Same as always, Skipper?" Siddanth asked.
Gilchrist's eyes were blazing. He looked like a man possessed.
"No," Gilchrist growled. "I'm ending this. Just give me the strike."
The Gilchrist Assault
What followed was not batting. It was brutality.
Gilchrist decided that Nannes, Nehra, and McGrath were not bowlers, but bowling machines set to 'Easy'.
Over 2 (Ashish Nehra):
Gilchrist hit him for Five Fours in a row.
Pull. Drive. Cut. Flick. Drive.
20 runs.
Over 3 (Dirk Nannes):
Gilchrist stepped out and hit him over the roof of the stadium.
SIX.
Siddanth, at the other end, was doing exactly what he was told.
He faced Amit Mishra.
Ball 1: Soft push to mid-wicket. Single.
He gave the strike to Gilchrist.
Gilchrist smashed Mishra for two sixes.
"This is a massacre!" Shastri was screaming. "Adam Gilchrist is playing EA Sports Cricket! He is dismantling the table-toppers single-handedly! And look at young Deva! He is just the spectator with the best view! He knows his job is just to hand over the strike!"
Gilchrist reached his 50 off 23 balls.
Siddanth was on 8 runs off 6 balls.
The Partnership
Siddanth played the perfect support role. He didn't let his ego take over.
Ball: Pradeep Sangwan bowls a yorker. Siddanth digs it out, calls for a sharp single. 1 run.
Gilchrist back on strike. Four.
They raced to 100 in the 8th over.
Gilchrist was on 80. Siddanth on 15.
In the 10th over, facing Amit Mishra again, Gilchrist tried to clear long-off. He didn't quite get to the pitch.
The ball soared high... and was taken by Warner on the boundary.
WICKET 2: Adam Gilchrist c. Warner b. Mishra 85 (35 balls).
10 Fours. 5 Sixes.
The stadium stood as one to applaud. It was one of the greatest T20 innings ever played.
DC: 107 for 2 (10.4 Overs).
Equation: 57 runs needed off 56 balls.
Siddanth was on 22 off 16 balls.
The storm had passed. Now, the Hurricane had to finish the job.
Tirumalasetti Suman walked out.
"Gilly did the hard work," Suman said, breathless.
"Let's not mess it up," Siddanth replied.
With Gilchrist gone, Delhi sensed a small opening. Sehwag brought his field in, trying to squeeze.
Siddanth looked at the field.
Okay. My turn.
Over 11 (Virender Sehwag):
Sehwag brought himself on.
Siddanth faced him.
Ball 1: Sehwag darted it in flat.
Siddanth skipped down, met it on the full, and hit it inside-out over cover.
SIX.
"And Deva takes over!" Gavaskar said admiringly. "The captain goes, but Siddanth Deva says not today! Beautiful footwork! He knew Sehwag would try to slide it through, so he met it on the full."
Over 13 (Ashish Nehra):
Siddanth was on 35.
Nehra bowled a bouncer.
Siddanth swiveled.
He pulled it flat and hard. It hit the advertising boards.
FOUR.
Next ball, he opened the face and ran it down to third man. FOUR.
He moved to 45.
Suman was playing well, rotating the strike.
Over 15
3 runs to win.
Siddanth was on 48.
Ball 1: Dilshan tossed it up.
Siddanth stepped out. He didn't slog. He drove it, high and handsome, straight back over the bowler's head.
It sailed into the sightscreen.
FOUR. (It bounced once).
Deccan Chargers Won by 8 wickets.
Siddanth Deva: 52 (30 balls).*
T. Suman: 15 (13 balls).*
Siddanth raised his bat. Another half-century. Another not out. Another chase guided home.
The Presentation
The post-match presentation was buzzing.
Ravi Shastri: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Man of the Match. For a blistering 85 that killed the game in the power play... Adam Gilchrist!"
Gilchrist bounded up, grinning.
Shastri: "Gilly, that was violent. You decided you didn't want to hang around?"
Gilchrist: "Ah, look, the pitch was good. I just thought that if we get ahead of the rate early, it kills their spirit. And having Sid at the other end helps. He's so calm. He just kept telling me, 'Keep going, Skipper, I'm right here.' He rotated the strike perfectly. That's maturity."
Shastri turned to Siddanth, who was standing with the team.
Shastri: "Siddanth, a word. 52 not out to finish it. You played second fiddle to Gilly, then took over. That transition was seamless."
Siddanth smiled. "When Gilly is hitting like that, you just enjoy the show. My job was just to get him back on strike. Once he got out, I knew I had to take the responsibility to finish it. We didn't want to leave it to the end."
Shastri: "You're in the final. Again. Last year, you lost to Rajasthan. This year, you might face the Royal Challengers Bangalore or the Chennai Super Kings. The Battle of the South. Confident?"
"We are ready for both teams."
Shastri: "Deccan Chargers are in the Final!"
Back in the Dressing Room
The team was celebrating, but it was controlled.
Lehmann stood on a chair.
"Great win. Gilly, you're a freak. Sid, brilliant finish. But lads..."
He held up a finger.
"One more. We have one more game. We don't celebrate yet. We save the champagne for Sunday."