Virender Sehwag decimated the Deccan Chargers with a violent unbeaten 94 as Delhi Daredevils cantered to an easy nine-wicket win in the Indian Premier League in Hyderabad on Tuesday night.
Rohit Sharma's 36-ball 66 had propped the Deccan Chargers to a modest 142 for eight after the hosts were reduced to 60 for five at one stage.
But with skipper Sehwag on fire, Delhi Daredevils overwhelmed the target in 13 overs, losing just one wicket, for their second victory in a row.
Sehwag's 41-ball blitzkrieg of 94 not out included ten hits to the fence and six towering sixes.
Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (12) began with a flourish and even though the left-hander perished in the fourth over, runs came thick and fast with Sehwag on song.
Sanjay Bangar bore the brunt of Sehwag's wrath in his second over, which cost the bowler 23 runs and included two sixes and as many boundaries.
Sehwag was lucky to get a reprieve on 13 when Pragyan Ojha dropped him off Chaminda Vaas in the deep, and later Adam Gilchrist made a mess of an easy stumping opportunity off Ojha.
Earlier, Rohit's belligerent 66 helped Deccan Chargers overcome a top order collapse and post a modest 142 for eight.
Rohit stood tall amid ruins to slam his maiden fifty in this format; his explosive 66 included six fours and four sixes before he holed out to Glenn McGrath off Rajat Bhatia.
Deccan Chargers skipper VVS Laxman's decision to bat first boomeranged, with the hosts finding themselves in a hole with the score reading 45 for four inside ten overs.
After the miserly McGrath conceded just one run in the first over, identical two-wicket bursts from Mohammad Asif and Ferveez Maharoof tightened the noose around the hosts.
Adam Gilchrist (8) flicked Asif effortlessly for a magnificent six before dragging a delivery onto his stumps and crisis compounded for the hosts, who soon had skipper Laxman (2) back in the hut, courtesy Asif. To make it worse, Maharoof claimed two scalps -- Y Venugopal Rao (14) and danger man Andrew Symonds (12) -- in as many overs to pin them down.
With the team in dire straits, much was expected from Shahid Afridi (2), but the Pakistani swashbuckler scratched around for seven balls before Bhatia caught him plumb in front, as the hosts lost their top half for just 60.
Rohit did not waste anymore time and went after Maharoof, milking 26 runs off the pacer's last over, which went -- 6,6,4,4,4,2.
It was a remarkable comeback by the hosts, who scored 69 runs off the last five overs. Asif was pick of the Delhi bowlers, claiming two for 19 in his four overs.
Sehwag replied by scoring 30 runs off an Andrew Symonds's over that read 4,6,4,6,4,6.
All along, Shikhar Dhawan (25 not out) was happy playing the second fiddle.
