It was the opening outing for the Deccan Chargers in season IV of the DLF-Indian Premier League. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal was understandably festooned in midnight blue as home of the Hyderabadi outfit.
The preliminary assault by openers Shikhar Dhawan and Ishank Jaggi had the crowds in raptures but that was all there was to cheer about for the home side's die-hard fans as the action unfolded. Soon the initial bustle began to fizzle out as batsman after batsman headed back to the dugout, frittering away the early advantage.
An off-spinner of South African origin failed to make much impact when he turned his arm over. Considering he had been a speedster clocking over 125 kmph before turning tweaker, Johan Botha's use of the ‘doosra' did little damage to the Chargers.
The Johannesburg native would have pleasant memories of this ground, having made his One-day international debut here. On that occasion, he had Irfan Pathan bowled through the gates. Botha had stepped into the squad after Nicky Boje withdrew when there was talk of the latter being interrogated by police in India for his alleged role in match-fixing.
That he found little success with the ball didn't deter Botha one bit. Not particularly kind to his compatriot Dale Steyn, he plundered the Hyderabad side's bowling attack with vigour if not a certain degree of violence.
Eight boundaries and a six studded his 47-ball 67 that was as chanceless as it was brutal. Reverse sweeping, scooping and pulling, no field setting seemed sufficient to contain the Springbok, who toyed with the Chargers' international-class attack spearheaded by Steyn and backed by Ishant Sharma.
Since the local side posted a none-too-distant 137, Botha's job became much easier as he shouldered the task responsibly, although while enjoying the assignment immensely. To take Rajasthan Royals to victory was no new challenge for him.
After all, he had been elevated to captain during South Africa's One-day series in Australia and had been highly successful on that campaign.
