Delhi now play the waiting game

“One thing is for sure, unlike the Jaipur team we will not be going to Goa for a break,” says Sehwag when asked how his team plans to spend the next few days, reports Anand Vasu.

“One thing is for sure, unlike the Jaipur team we will not be going to Goa for a break,” said Virender Sehwag when asked how his team planned to spend the next few days given that their playing time in the league phase of the IPL had come to an end. Delhi have 15 points from their full set of 14 matches, including seven wins and one game abandoned thanks to rain. All Delhi can do now is wait and see if either Mumbai, who have two matches left, or Chennai, who have one game in hand, can play themselves out of a semifinal spot.

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Sehwag, who admitted that all his team could do now was “pray” that things went their way after it seemed like luck had finally turned for his team they had lost more than one tight game and struggled with rain and Duckworth-Lewis was not beyond looking for some help from above.

“We have done our job. We had to win this match and we did that. The rest is not in our hands. We can only pray that other results go our way and we reach the last four. Thank God the middle-order clicked at the right time.”

Dinesh Karthik was named ‘Man of the Match’ for his battling half-century that took Delhi home from a precarious position after the top-order had collapsed. He shared in crucial partnerships of 41 and 49 with Manoj Tiwary and Parveez Maharoof respectively. "It was one of my lucky days, whatever shots I played came off. I know that whenever God gives, he gives in plenty. He's been kind to me and I hope this is just the beginning of good times for me,” said Karthik.

“It was a total team effort. My partnership with Tiwary and Maharoof came good. We were on the hunt and we just wanted a few boundaries.” But while Karthik did bulk of the scoring, Maharoof's unbeaten 20 was a vital contribution and his role in the win did not go unnoticed. “He is a class player and he has played in these situations,” said Sehwag. “I always want to send him in these crunch moments because he plays regularly for Sri Lanka in international cricket and has the experience. We all know he can hit a few big shots.”

When asked which teams Sehwag will be watching closely over the next few days, the Delhi captain refused to be drawn into any serious speculation. Instead he reverted to characteristic humour, dismissing the question saying, “Whichever team can get us into the semifinals, that’s the team I’ll be watching.” After many days of nervous anticipation the Delhi team has got some relief. Now all it can do is wait.