The D-Factor works well for Delhi Daredevils

PORT ELIZABETH: Teams that embrace virtues like 3 Ds - Discipline, Dedication and Determination - usually make a winning combination. Perhaps since Delhi Daredevils go beyond that and have an extra 5 Ds, their DLF Indian Premier League have found them to be the team to beat this time around.



The 5Ds, did you ask? Well, we are talking about Daniel (Vettori), David (Warner), Dirk (Nannes), (AB) de Villiers and (Tillekerane) Dilshan. More seriously, when all teams are struggling to strike the right combination of four overseas players, Delhi Daredevils seem to have struck the right note.

The Delhi Daredevils campaign this season has seen each of these players contributing regularly and ensuring that the team's position in the points table is strengthened. Skipper Virender Sehwag has openly said he loved it when his overseas teammates get the Man of the Match award.

"I am very happy with the team performance so far. It was Daniel Vettori in our first match and it was AB de Villiers in the second. Tillekeratne Dilshan has been winning matches for us and Dirk Nannes is doing the job upfront. So overall, I am satisfied with the team effort. Hopefully, it will be continue in the coming matches," Sehwag told iplt20.com.

To some extent, Delhi Daredevils' overseas players have outperformed domestic cricketers. These players have been successful in keeping the likes of Glenn McGrath, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah and several Indians applauding their performances from the benches.

"They have been performing extremely well. David, AB, Dilshan and Dirk have taken the pressure off the Indians in our side," Delhi's stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir admitted it to iplt20.com: "We just wish that they keep performing like this in the upcoming matches so that it becomes easier for our side."

Take de Villiers for example - he is an asset to any team. He looks solid and been the batsman in form for Delhi Daredevils. The 25-year-old South African notched up the first century of the second edition of the IPL against Chennai Super Kings in Durban. And then against Mumbai Indians, he remained unbeaten to see his side through when chasing a modest total.

"AB has developed into a senior player this summer with some magnificent performances in the Test, ODIs and now in Twenty20s," says legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar. "He plays the big shots in a controlled way. It is never easy to score a century in Twenty20 cricket. De Villiers is not all about big shots. He is quite happy to play the ones and twos."

If de Villiers is showing signs of maturity, the new kid on the block, David Warner is not far behind. The Australian highlighted his value again when he scored 51 off 40 balls when filling in for the injured Sehwag "The way Viru demolishes the attacks from the word go, we knew we are going to miss him. But fortunately we had David Warner in the squad. The way he bats is wonderful to watch," says Gambhir.

The technically sound Dilshan is a seasoned player who brings experience in to the middle-order. At the crease, he combines natural timing and a perfect movement to present a lethal opposition to the bowlers. He has proved his mettle by playing a finisher's role in the Delhi side.

"He is a great finisher of the game. He reads the situation well and plays accordingly," says Gambhir. "He has the ability to shift gears. He can take the singles and can hit the ball over the ropes whenever necessary. His presence gives confidence to the openers and allows them to play their natural game."

Delhi Daredevils' overseas bowlers have also done more than enough to be expand that edite D-list. A genuine fast bowler, Nannes has provided early strikes almost everytime he was given the new ball. The stats cannot tell the full story but the fact that he has kept McGrath out of the playing XI is proof enough of his form and performance.

"I think Dirk is the fastest I have ever faced," says Sehwag. Being held responsible for McGrath's 'no show' in the on-going IPL so far, Nannes says: : I will tell my grandchildren that I was responsible for keeping out the greatest fast bowler of all time from a playing XI."

In the initial matches, Delhi Daredevils relied heavily on New Zealand skipper Vettori to choke runs and take wickets in the middle overs. Regarded by many as the most dangerous spinner in the world, he has done well whenever has played this year. "He is bowling really well. What sets him apart from other spinners is his ability to outthink the batsman,: says Gavaskar.

Sehwag was sitting with Vettori when someone asked him whether he thought spinners would play an important role in Twenty20 and if Vettori could be among them. "He's not just any spinner. He's a great spinner," Sehwag shot back, making clear his importance in shaping Delhi Daredevils' fortunes.
---- Sanjay Krishnan