Akshath on a high

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The Deccan Chargers have ended the 2012 IPL season on an unprecedented high when they won two home games one after the other — something that had eluded them in the two other seasons they had played at home.

They first defeated the Rajasthan Royals and then stunned a heavyweight Royal Challengers Bang-alore batting line-up. While fiery South African Pacer Dale Steyn has walked away with all the accolades — deservedly so — it is an undeniable fact that the ball was, in fact, set rolling by Hyderabad’s own Akshath Reddy, who, with a sparkling 42, helped the Bulls chase down the target set by the Royals.

It was no mean feat either, facing the likes of Shaun Tait, considered the fastest in the world. “I had worked very hard in the nets and wasn’t too worried about the opposition bowlers. I kept telling myself to concentrate only on the delivery and played each one on its merit,” said the 21-year-old, who came into IPL-5 riding on the crest of a fabulous domestic season, where he scored four centuries and played a crucial role in bringing Hyderabad back into the Elite Group from Plate. “It was a massive learning curve for me. I got to learn so much from all these fantastic players and coaches,” Akshath said, talking about his first season with the former champions.

For most Indian first class players, playing in front of huge crowds can be daunting, and so it was for Akshath as well, who was playing in front of his home crowd for the first time ever. But to his credit, he handled it rather well. “While I was worried about was playing in front of the massive crowd, I had already batted once before, at No.6 against the Kings XI Punjab, so I had a fair idea of how it would be. That said, I ensured I remained focused only on the next delivery and that did me a lot of good,” he said, promising a better show next year.

“While it was disappointing that we didn’t qualify for the playoffs this year, seeing how we played the last two matches, I’m sure we’ll bounce back with a better show next year,” said Akshath, who is now all set to to perform in local league cricket.