Two back-to-back wins feel good: Sangakkara – Cricket News Update
Deccan Chargers’ skipper Kumar Sangakkara is happy with his team’s current performances, which saw the Chargers winning two consecutive games, and finishing second-last on the Indian Premier League 5 points table.
"Two back-to-back wins feels good. The guys played good cricket in the two matches (against Rajasthan Royals and RCB),” said Sangakkara. “All of us chipped in and that was the important thing. I know it's a heartbreak for RCB but I am happy that we won.”
The Deccan Chargers have been among the most unsuccessful teams in the 2012 edition of the IPL, and have languished at the bottom of the points table throughout most of the tournament. However, they displayed a recent burst of fighting spirit and secured two consecutive wins – a 5-wicket victory against the Rajasthan Royals on May 18, followed by a 9-run win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 20.
Their match against Virat Kohli’s men saw the Chargers’ besting one of the most formidable batting line-ups in the current season of the IPL, featuring players such as Chris Gayle, and AB de Villiers. Following a crucial batting performance by Jean-Paul Duminy, who chipped in with a vital 74, the Chargers set their opponents a target of 133 on a slow surface, but the chase looked like it would be easy for the likes of Gayle, whose highest individual total in the IPL so far is a whopping unbeaten 128 (scored against the Delhi Daredevils).
However, the Chargers’ bowling attack put forth a surprisingly coordinated display of efficiency - pacers Dale Steyn (who claimed a stunning 3 for 8 in 4 overs) and Ashish Reddy (4-0-25-3) were supported by spinner Amit Mishra (4-0-26-2) in restricting the Challengers to 123 by the end of 20 overs.
While the two consecutive wins enabled them to move up one spot on the points table (above the Pune Warriors) and finish second-last, the victories were not enough to reverse the fairly dismal season the Chargers have had.
“I think we played really good cricket but unfortunately the results did not go in our way,” Sangakkara said, reflecting on the overall performances of the team throughout the tournament.
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