Chargers have the last laugh

A team that can laugh well laughs longest, and has the last laugh. And defending champions Deccan Chargers show how. Team bonding is at its best in the Chargers camp and powers them on, as this newspaper discovered during a freewheeling chat with the Bulls.

Captain Adam Gilchrist simplifies the success formula. “There are variations in levels and intensity in the squad, and the trick is to coordinate it as a collective group. We’ve managed to do that pretty well. The harder you work, the luckier you get.” Gilly acknowledges the role of seniors in shaping up the side. He picked out VVS Laxman and Chaminda Vaas as players who have been inspirational.

Coach Darren Lehmann chips in to say, “All seniors help the youngsters... they were self-coaching.” Gilly quips: “Wonder what you were doing.” Laughter. It’s this sort of bantering that keeps the team going, according to assistant coach Mike Young. “Part of it (team bonding) is having a huge sense of humour. Everyone can get on each other a bit and no one loses his temper or gets upset about it.”

Talking about pulling faster ones, Herschelle Gibbs comes across as the livewire of the squad. “The biggest thing for us is to mix and match the cultures,” says Lehmann. Gilly proves it with his newly acquired repertoire — Aap ka naam kyae haiey? Aap kaise ho? Aap ki neend achchi huey — he says, Oz style. He has some Telugu lines too, like Andaaru Bagunnaraa? (is everyone well) and Namaskaaram.

The captain’s favourite song is Pehli Nazar from Race. It has turned into a victory anthem, and is played on the team bus after every win. How do the superstar seniors gell with their junior mates? “There’s no segregation, it’s an open door policy. We enjoy each other’s company,” Gilly says, and points to Y. Venugopal Rao, T. Suman and Rahul Sharma as the best dancers on the team.

The Bulls are superstitious too. Vice-captain Rohit Sharma wants to be in rooms whose numbers add up to 5. Seam bowler R.P. Singh romances the stones while Symonds tries to wear something new every match. It could be gloves, socks, anything. The Chargers’ own rolling trophy, a pink pig, which was presented to the performer of each game last year, has been replaced by a black bull this time. And the boys are yearning to go that extra mile to lay their hands on it. Charge on!