David Warner’s simple reaction told the story. It was a rueful smile knowing he had done his job only to see his diligence destroyed by a master craftsman.
The record shows a narrow victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Only their second win in the last five outings hoists RCB back into playoff contention with three games remaining in the Indian Premier League. The result also piles the pressure on any rivals still believing a top four finish is within reach.
Warner knows the race could still be wide open. The Australian batsman was given the opportunity to captain the Delhi Daredevils for the first time – a franchise in danger of going from first to worst in the space of 12 months with a desperately disappointing 3-10 record.
Leadership is not for everyone. By definition a cricket captain is expected to make snap decisions with almost every delivery and take responsibility for his actions. It can be an onerous task and in the brief T20 format, any misjudgments are magnified.
Warner wasn’t about to pass up the chance. He began by winning the toss and chose to chase – a brave call knowing Chris Gayle can, and has, humiliated the world’s best bowlers with just a few swings of his mighty bat.
The gamble paid off. The Gayle-storm failed to materialize – the Jamaican was clean bowled for 4 – and his teammates were forced to rebuild with both openers back in the dugout. By IPL standards it was a steady but slow as Warner cleverly varied his bowling attack to restrict the visitors’ run-rate.
Not for the first time, Virat Kohli led the recovery. The young RCB skipper, impatient to accelerate, was forced to bide his time and was lucky to survive a dropped catch when he had made just 15. It was a turning point which would come back to haunt the Daredevils.
It took a full 15 overs for RCB to crack the 100 mark. Warner’s team had done an excellent containment job with Kohli cutting an ever more frustrated figure. His own half-century seemed unlikely to be part of a competitive total his bowlers could defend.
Cue the fireworks. Kohli and South African partner A.B. de Villiers finally cut loose. They pair didn’t just change gear – they changed the car. They put rocket fuel in the tank and smashed the shackles to smithereens.
In the final four overs the pair bludgeoned 77 runs. In the blink of an eye Kohli had sprinted from the 50s to the 90s. Needing two from the final ball to complete an extraordinary century, he was run out on 99 tossing his bat into the night sky in exasperation.
Kohli, though, had done his job. He and de Villiers had taken a modest looking score and turned it into a highly demanding target. Sportingly, Warner applauded the effort but knew this was one that had got away. As a batsman himself, the Australian appreciated sometimes there is nothing a fielding captain can do when the man in the middle is so switched on.
The Royal Challengers needed almost all those runs. Delhi’s run chase was ultimately in vain but the home team was by no means disgraced, losing by only four runs. Warner’s introduction to IPL captaincy is not one he is likely to forget in a hurry.
As Bangalore consolidates its top four place, the race for the playoffs continues on the weekend. Mumbai can virtually guarantee a post-season berth with a victory over last placed Pune. The Warriors are woefully out of form, and anything other than a Mumbai win would be a major upset.
The Sunrisers face a must win weekend on the road. RCB’s dramatic victory means the expansion team from Hyderabad cannot afford to lose in Mohali following that thumping home midweek defeat to IPL leaders Chennai.
The Super Kings face a top of the table clash on Sunday. The Lions travel to Jaipur to meet the resurgent Rajasthan Royals who seem destined to contest the playoffs for the first time since winning the very first IPL in 2008.
Their previous meeting this year was a high scoring affair won by Chennai with just one ball to spare. Don’t be surprised if it’s another thriller.