But it was that kind of night when wickets and catches made all the difference and even the team thinking they were past the line fell just short.
The Deccan Chargers found themselves knee deep in trouble and the match had only just begun. Dale Steyn played perhaps the match of the IPL 3 as far as he was concerned as he took two wickets in the space of two deliveries sending back the Deccan Chargers captain, Adam Gilchrist, and Suman, who has been the man of the moment for the Chargers in the previous two matches.
But Steyn really rattled the Chargers in such an important match for both teams in the race to the IPL 3 semi finals. And he picked up his third scalp, that of Herschelle Gibbs, even as the fellow South African was in no mood to hold back.
From 14 for three in only the third over, the Deccan Chargers seemed to have lost the battle. But incredibly they made sure they did not lose the war. The journey back to recognition began on the back of a partnership between two Indians, Rohit Sharma and Mohnish Mishra. Rohit was due for an innings of merit and Mohnish had his chance to shine.
And it was the half century for Rohit Sharma and forty-one runs for Mishra that ensured that the Deccan Chargers found their feet again. 151 may not have seemed like a humungous total but as Gilchrist stated later, the Deccan Chargers knew that the chase in Nagpur would not be as easy as presumed.
In reply, the Royal Challengers Bangalore perhaps thought it was job done as Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis went about business, despite losing Manish Pandey early to Ryan Harris. The RCB team would not have been overly worried even when they lost Dravid for forty-nine runs to Andrew Symonds at the half way stage after a seventy-four run first partnership.
They would have felt more than optimistic at ninety-five for the loss of two wickets, needing just fifty-seven runs from forty balls. But that is when it all began to unravel as the Deccan Chargers persisted and were amply rewarded.
Pragyan Ojha had the breakthrough, beating Kallis batting on twenty-seven. Harmeet Singh was weaving his magic with spin as well and even as R.P. Singh was chipping away at the wickets as well, Harmeet gave the home team the breakthrough that really definitely tilted the match their way. The Royal Challengers Bangalore could have possibly snuck through had Robin Uthappa stuck around, but Harmeet bowled him comprehensively with a slower delivery for thirty-four runs and with it ended, the RCB’s dream, by thirteen runs in the eventual tally, Anil Kumble and Vijay Mallya looking like there would be a dressing down in the dressing room.
2010 IPL 3 Match 45: Tendulkar Juggernaut Means Sham for Royals
2010 IPL 3 Match 44: Spoilsport KXIP Ruin Daredevils’ Home Skirmish
2010 IPL 3 Match 43: Royal Challengers Thump Knight Riders in Tense Encounter
2010 IPL 3 Match 42: Chennai Turn up Insipid in Battle Against Chargers; Suman Shines
2010 IPL 3 Match 41: Red Hot KXIP Give Mumbai Indians a Nasty Surprise
2010 IPL 3 Match 40: Chargers Find a Majestic Win Against RCB; Live to Fight Another Day
IPL 3 Match 39: Daredevils Lose Nerve and Slip Against Spot-On Knight Riders
2010 IPL 3 Match 38: Under performing KXIP Beaten by Overpowering Lumb; Sreesanth Loses It
2010 IPL 3 Match 37: Chennai Rock as MI Fail Once Tendulkar Succumbs to the Heat
2010 IPL 3 Match 36: Deccan Chargers Fail to Ignite Again
2010 IPL 3 Match 35: Collingwood Shines Brighter for Daredevils In Battle Royale
Follow the action trail for all of the IPL 3 season:
2010 IPL 3 Schedule of Matches, IPL3 Points Tally, IPL 3 Team Squads, News in the Run Up
2010 IPL 3 Match 34: Mahela Helps KXIP Register their Second IPL 3 Win, Overpowering Gayle
