 Deccan Chargers face Knight Riders in must-win tie
10th May 2008 21:00 IST
Agencies
Low on morale and languishing at the bottom of table, Deccan Chargers will have to reverse their losing streak when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in a must-win match in Hyderabad on Sunday to remain in the reckoning.
The badly bruised Hyderabad team which has won only two of the eight matches it has played so far are sharing the bottom spot with Bangalore Royal Challengers on four points and would have to post a few victories to remain in contention for a semi-final berth.
Moreover, the VVS Laxman-led side will have to overcome the jinx of losing at home having failed to post a single win from three matches so far at the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium with its two wins coming away from home -- in Mumbai and Chennai.
The bad news for the team was that Laxman, who is recovering from a hand injury, is still doubtful for the crucial match and responsibility of steering the team would once again fall on stand-in-captain Adam Gilchrist.
Gilchrist, who has rediscovered his form after initial failures, would have to repeat his fine form with the bat against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur though his side lost the match.
The Australian, who has made 284 runs in eight matches, is the highest run-getter for the team, followed by Rohit Sharma who has been consistent so far and has worn the Orange cap for highest run getter though he is now in the fourth place with 263 from eight matches behind Gautam Gambhir, Gilchrist and Virender Sehwag.
The Hyderabad side's main worry has been that some big batting stars in the team including Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi are yet to make their presence felt in the tournament though the Pakistani has taken seven wickets in six matches.
In the bowling department, except for Rudra Pratap Singh and city lad Pragyan Ojha, others are pedestrian in their performance so far.
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