New Delhi: For Delhi Daredevils, Monday's clash against Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was a defining moment. A team that had been consistently inconsistent needed a firm performance to keep their head above water and got just that from their big guns.
Every time openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have clicked, it seems to be easy pickings for the Daredevils.
Matching each other stroke for stroke, the deadly duo have been the most successful opening pair of the competition so far. And so once they got going in Bangalore, the game was reduced to a no contest.
They are among the top scorers in the tournament although Gambhir's ambitions go beyond retaining the Orange Cap for the leading run scorer in the tournament
"I think the important thing is consistency. When you are hitting the ball, you need to keep working hard and never be complacent and that's what I am thinking. Whenever I go into bat what comes into my mind is that this may be the last innings that I am going to play. So that's the concentration that I go in with," Gambhir said after Monday's match
Delhi know their fate lies in their own hands as a combination of bad luck and stuttering performances has left them in a dogfight for the last semi-final spot.
But going into the home stretch their skipper is confident that his boys can deliver.
“I am looking forward to the next two games. If we have to qualify then we have to win both the games and for that we have to play good cricket. We have to play good cricket and then only can we win," said Sehwag.
The Royal Challengers on the other hand have nothing to cling on to now. Despite attempting changes in their batting order they finished second best again and skipper Rahul Dravid knows it will be hard to pick his team up for the final few games.
"We have just got to look at each game and try and upset a few people. I think there are teams out there, which desperately need to win every game now and we could upset the balance of a few teams. I guess that's the best we can do at this stage. We need to build for the future and get some impressive performances in and hope that it holds good," a dejected looking Dravid hoped,
With matches in front of their home supporters coming up, the Daredevils can now dare the dream of IPL glory.
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