Afridi bowling with wicket in mind

Revenge would be on the mind when the rejuvenated Deccan Chargers meet the Rajasthan Royals in their backyard in an attempt to push their way up the IPL table here on Friday.

Having done in at the death by some erratic bowling by Andrew Symonds, who gave away 17 runs in the last over in the home game against the Royals, the Chargers would look to settle scores at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium when they square up with the Blues brigade in the return leg.

The Chargers have undergone a sea change since the game that slipped away on April 24 though — Andrew Symonds has left for national duty; Adam Gilchrist has got into the groove, evident from his fastest century and a quickfire 50; the bowlers have begun to gell and have consistently contained reputed batting line-ups; and the team has recorded two thumping victories.

All that has added to the confidence of a side which had been lying low in the initial stages of the tournament. Suddenly, the Chargers seem to be a side going at full speed. On the other hand, the Royals have suffered a humiliating sevenwicket defeat to bottom scrappers Mumbai after being bowled out for a measly 103 on Wednesday.

It would take Shane Warne’s squad quite some self-belief to get themselves out of the rut in such a short time — having arrived from Mumbai only on Thursday night, they could not even practice.
Added to that would be the pressure from the home crowd to perform. It remains to be seen how the inexperienced team handles the situation.

Despite the bitter defeat, it is unlikely that the Royals will make changes in the squad. The mood remains the same in the Chargers camp with capatain VVS Laxman yet to recover fully from his wrist injury which forced him out of the previous game. That means the visitors would again look to quick runs from Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs at the top with Rohit Sharma, Shahid Afridi and Sanjay Bangar providing muscle to the middle order.

The bowling responsibilities will rest with the reliable R.P. Singh, vigilant V