Sehwag blasts to a fifty, as Delhi cruise

Virender Sehwag seemed to have a train to catch, as he rocketed Delhi Daredevils to a sensational nine-wicket win over Hyderabad Deccan Chargers.
Sehwag scored 94 not out off just 41 deliveries as his partnership with Shikhar Dhawan (25 not out) took his side to a facile win. Delhi now have two wins from two matches while Hyderabad have yet to score a win in the IPL.
Chasing Hyderabad's modest 142, Delhi never gave the hosts any chance to fight back as first Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, then the captain and Dhawan, decimated the attack.
The 13th over of the match, bowled by Andrew Symonds, went for 30 runs as Sehwag hit three sixes and three boundaries. In total, Sehwag hit ten boundaries and six sixes.
Young Rohit Sharma carried the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers on his shoulders as bigger names like Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Shahid Afridi failed, to take his side to a fighting 142-8 against Delhi Daredevils.
Sharma scored a sensational 66 runs off just 36 deliveries, hitting six fours and four sixes.
Sharma scored 26 runs off one over by Faraveez Maharoof. He carried Hyderabad from a precarious 70-5 after 15 overs to a total that can at least be called challenging for the Delhi batsmen.

T20 gives me freedom to play my shots: Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir was a sensation in the Twenty20 World Cup last year. He was among runs and played his shots all over the park. The southpaw, who scored a half-century in the first game played by the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, is hopeful that he can play a crucial role for team in this tournament.

Have you set any personal targets for the IPL?

My target is to make sure that I win the match for my team. It was a tremendous feeling when I scored some runs in the T20 World Cup last year. But now, that is in the past. As an opener, my job is to give some good starts to my team. For me, it's important that my runs come handy for the team and that I stand up and be counted when it matters the most. Individual records really do not make much impact if your team does not win.

Batsmen get less time to settle down in the T20 format. Is this a problem?

If you are playing a Twenty20 match, it gives you that extra liberty to play your shots. But when you are an opener, the perfect way to bat is to get used to the pace and bounce of the wicket and then shift gears according to the situation. For me, this format works because it gives me freedom to play my shots. At the same time, you can get enough time to settle down.

After six matches, which team looks the best?

It's too early to comment. This is an unpredictable format and that is why you cannot single out any one team and say that they will win the IPL championship. If you have five bad overs in a game, you can end up on the losing side. From the last couple of matches, one thing is quite clear: any team is capable of winning and so you cannot really take it easy. It's exciting and I am sure that the spectators are going to love every moment of it.

What is your impression of the foreign recruits?

It's a completely different experience. This is the perfect platform to know each other. During international matches, we don't have this kind of interaction. A tournament like IPL will help us make friends with all cricketers from South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies or Pakistan.

How effective is Virender Sehwag as a captain?

Viru is a thinking captain and can rotate his bowlers very intelligently. Even when I am batting with him, I have a great understanding. As a cricketer, he is top class, and even as a teammate off the field, he is very helpful. Under his leadership, Delhi Daredevils are looking good.

Is money a distraction?

Not at all. We are professional cricketers and we know one thing: as long as we are playing well for our city, state or country, money is something which will take care of itself. If tomorrow, we stop performing, money will stop flowing. So, money is not an issue with a cricketer. It's only the outside world which talks about it.

Is it quality cricket or the Bollywood stars which is attracting fans to the stadium?

If you ask this question to a cricketer, he will obviously say it is the cricket. But the presence of Bollywood stars is certainly adding to the excitement. With time, I am sure more and more cricket fans will get involved.

Is it exciting for cricketers to have Bollywood stars around?

Once you are on the field, nothing really matters. It's only how we can win the match that counts