Chennai, May 2: There was little even the maverick Dhoni could do to stop the pillaging pair of Virendar Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. The duo made batting ridiculously easy and feasted on an attack that kept bowling to their strengths to power Delhi Daredevils to their fourth win in five matches that put them on par with the Chennai Super Kings. Delhi won by eight wickets and an over to spare.

It was savagery from the start of the chase. A rasping upper cut off Makhaya Nitini that flew over third man started it all. It was mayhem in the next over from Manpreet Gony. Sehwag created room and struck him over long-off and another over point for two massive sixes. The bowler went short on ideas as Sehwag chose to murder.

Runs were plundered as Gambhir joined the party. Strong as usual square on the off-side Gambhir picked two fours of Nitini and Morkel as the score rocketed to 64 without loss.

The runs came in torrents yet it did not stop Sehwag from inventive strokeplay. He was slash happy throughout his innings, playing some of the most outrageous shots. The skipper registered his fifty in 24 balls. He was lucky on a few occasions but that’s the way he bats. His tenure finally ended when he was snapped up by Muralitharan of the slower pace of Joginder Sharma. The first wicket stand produced 115 frightening runs in 11.2 overs.

With a huge backlift and rasping bat speed to match, Gambhir tore through the off-side ranging from third-man to covers. He fell after an exhilarating 50 in 37 balls chopping the ball to his stumps off Gony. Abram de Villiers played the guiding role well. Just when things got a little edgy his four of Muralitharan’s last ball in the 17th over lifted the pressure.

With 14 required of the last two overs Shikar Dhawan managed 12 runs in four balls to give Delhi a deserved victory. They played the bigger moments better than Chennai.

Earlier Dhoni decided to bat in spite of going in to the game without two of his influential batsmen. Stephen Fleming did not look entirely convincing in his stay and was fortunate to add a few boundaries after being castled by Yo Mahesh of a no ball. He fell in the same fashion three balls later.

Parthiv Patel was his usual self chasing everything and getting a few streaky fours by the way. The bigger mistake of the opening pair did not lie with their shot selection but running their first run hard and attacking the throw.

The innings was altered by S. Vidyut’s buccaneering effort. Batting with his customary high back lift Vidyut essayed some glorious shots. Fetching the ball from outside off he created a scoring arc that ranged from point to mid-wicket. His 37-ball 54 laid a fine platform for the hosts to bat Delhi out but the last five overs hardly produced anything of substance.

Dhoni started from where he had left off but the usual flamboyance at the finish went amiss as he holed out to Shoaib Malik off Mohammad Asif in the 18th over.

Daredevils opening with the experienced Glenn McGrath and Asif did not give an inch. The first three overs produced a miserly 13. Sehwag rang in a few changes but Vidyut kept the tempo. The power play produced 47. Shortly later Parthiv left heaving against the off-spin of Sehwag.

Vidyut continued to flourish against some gentle offerings. The six off Sehwag that landed in the pavilion terrace was a tribute to his smooth extension of defence and bat flow. It was in the same over where de Villiers dropped a sitter offered by Vidyut.

The 100 came in 11.4 overs and things did not look too bright for Delhi. McGrath and Yo Mahesh pulled things back by keeping it right on the block hole that disallowed the batsmen to swing through the line.