Page 101 - IPL 2

I t was a crisp morning in Cape Town. Our
just the opposite of what you would want in a
camera crew was on their way to film a feature
at the Deccan Chargers training camp. No one
was looking forward to it much as the team
had lacked fire in the first season. Teams and
audiences alike had whipped them in the first
season. No smart money would be on them in
IPL 2009 in South Africa. None of the Indian star
players were on their rolls, Boom Boom Shahid
Afridi was not making the trip, Andrew Symonds
was available for only half the tournament,
so the crew was not too kicked about this
early assignment.
But, no sooner than we had gotten out of our
car, did we all feel a perceptible whiff of change
in the air. It was not a small one. From the person
who came to receive us, to the assistant coach
who was hitting the high balls. The youngsters
who were outrunning each other. Adam Gilchrist
and Dwayne Smith who were competing on
the yards their big hits were getting. They
were having fun, but they were training hard.
Where was the gloom and despair we were
expecting to see?
Maybe it was the new team colors. The earlier
insipid beige was probably the dullest kit of
all the teams. But this new blue was not just
pleasing to the eye; it also seemed to have
energized the team. Adam Gilchrist would
have his first full season as captain. And the
Chargers management was eager to give him
all the support he needed to turn their fortunes
around. Its no secret that Gilly is one of the
most explosive batsmen the world has ever
seen, but he is also one of the nicest blokes you
will ever meet. Soft spoken and gentle, he was
90 DECCAN CHARGERS
captain who is to take you out of a slump. But
he showed that aggression is not necessarily
worn on the face. You can as easily destroy the
moral of the opposition bowlers while wearing
a smile. Because 3 sixes in an over can have an
effect that sledging or hustling just can’t.
The Chargers also had a new coach, former
Australian international, Darren Lehmann. Hard
as nails, an ideal foil to the happy and cheery
Gilchrist. The Bar room brawler and the Smiling
Six hitter – what a combination!
On paper, this team would have seemed happiest
at the move to South Africa as they had not won
a single home game in all of Season 1, a feat
that will probably be a record for a long time to
come. But they did have concerns. Their primary
one was the cold. According to Mr. V Shankar,
co owner, “The initial reaction was one of worry
as we were unsure the team would be able to
adjust in such a short time. Once it became
known that the weather was not biting we felt
confident of doing our best.”
But after the rough weather they’d been through
in India, even a rainstorm would be a walk in the
park. As the tournament progressed the world
saw that Gilly still had that magic touch. But it
was to be a solid team effort with Rohit Sharma,
and RP Singh and Azhar Bilakhia, and Pragyan
Ojha and Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds
all chipping in with solid performances when
needed the most. They had a team of superstars
in the first season too, but they had not played
like a superstar team. In season 2 they all pulled
through. Lugging the weight for each other.
ANDREW SYMONDS
DECCAN CHARGERS 91