He sat and watched. That’s all he can do at the moment.
Muscle injuries cannot be rushed, particularly when they are 40-year-old hamstrings. Adam Gilchrist would have been satisfied with the result but privately he must have felt a little for the vanquished.
The Deccan Chargers know what it feels like to win. It is only three years since the franchise was champion of the Indian Premier League. In 2009, when the entire tournament was transplanted to South Africa amid security fears back home, Deccan was the cream of the crop with Gilchrist as its shining star.
There will be no lap of honour in 2012. The Bulls are no longer charging in the right direction — or any direction. They are rampaging around the china shop, knocking things off, and no one is there to catch the falling objects. Cricket balls for example. This is a team that is doing itself no favours. Its fielding has been consistently sub-standard and it shows.
Dropped catches and misfields are expensive in Twenty20 cricket. There is nothing more demoralizing for a bowler than to see his toil wasted by a fumbled catch in the deep. Deccan leads the league in dropped catches and it is no coincidence the Chargers are dead last in the standings.
Gilchrist has moved on. The Australian legend is now captain and coach of the Kings Xl Punjab — a team threatening to make a nuisance of itself in the closing weeks of the season. The comfortable win in Hyderabad, its third in the last four outings, is posing a credible threat to the playoff contenders.
While Gilchrist offers encouragement from the dugout, another Australian is leading the Kings Xl by example. David Hussey has assumed the captain’s duties and has earned praise from Gilchrist for his leadership qualities. Recent victories over Mumbai, Chennai and the Royal Challengers are testament to Hussey’s ability.
As Gilchrist nears his comeback, a man half his age is making a name for himself. Mandeep Singh, who is just 20 years old, has been scoring freely and rapidly in his absence. Singh followed up his Man of the Match half century against CSK with his highest T20 score to take the individual honours against the Chargers.
If Kings Xl are to make the semifinals, they will have earned their spot. Gilchrist is expected to be fit for the return game against Deccan on Sunday but thereafter it is a tough run in. There are home and away games to come against the Delhi Daredevils plus another encounter with the defending champions.
Chennai’s hopes of a third straight IPL title are beginning to look a little farfetched. Their dramatic weekend loss to the Mumbai Indians was their third in the last four matches. Dwayne Smith’s last over heroics has left the Super Kings on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned.
Of its final four games, CSK has only one at home. Delhi hammered Chennai by eight wickets in their last meeting and the Daredevils have since gone on to prove they are the most improved team in 2012. Chennai must also visit Kolkata to face the league-leading Knight Riders so unless they can rally in a hurry, a top four finish may be beyond them for the first time in franchise history.