Zaheer Khan and Shreyas Iyer: The past and future of Indian cricket shine in Delhi Daredevils' win

Zaheer Khan, all of 36, ended with incredible figures of two for nine in four overs as the Delhi Daredevils stifled the Chennai Super Kings — beating them in their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter by six wickets as they chased down a small target of 119 runs — in an innings in which 20-year-old Shreyas Iyer scored 70 off just 49 balls.

It was a fine performance from the home team, and one in which the past and the future of Indian cricket sparkled — the perfect advertisement for the IPL in a way.

Zaheer was unplayable from the off — his first delivery was sharp and full, making Brendon McCullum dig it out towards mid-off for a dot. His second was similar, this time coming back straight to him. His third was slightly wider, making McCullum reach outside off for a run — his fourth slid away from Dwayne Smith; his fifth suddenly came in and the final one was slightly short but again, outside off — offering very little room though.

It was a similar story throughout the match from Zaheer — it was as if he was reminding Indian cricket fans of what he was; that class is permanent, form temporary. After three full deliveries, a bouncer would be thrown in. After two short deliveries, a yorker. He kept the batsmen guessing and it’s heartening to see bowlers win the battle in a format tailor-made for those who wield the willow.

His two wickets were crucial — McCullum and MS Dhoni. The first one born out of the frustration to hit a pacer who is past his prime — a mistimed shot caught at mid-off. The second came from a delivery in which Zaheer slightly rolled his fingers — the wee change in direction after the bounce confounding the Indian skipper who hit it to long off in a wicket maiden over. He was guiding Gurinder Sandhu as well, setting the field, asking for the ball after every delivery… he was de facto skipper and JP Duminy didn’t seem to mind. Delhi had nothing to lose - and Zaheer was enjoying himself.

He ended with 19 dots. Remarkable.

Then came Iyer — who has already amassed 419 runs at a healthy average of 34.91 and a strike-rate of 129.32. He sits fourth in the top-scorers’ list this season — his potential has been there for all to see. He is the most talked about young Indian in IPL 2015. With an easy target to chase, Delhi were 24-2 within five over. Would this be another collapse? After all, this was a team only playing for pride.

Iyer though, seemed to be playing for an India cap. His fours are not always beautiful — the first three were scratchy — but he does a knack of finding gaps. There’s no power either — magic of timing is everything in cricket. He slashed for four, dug out a boundary towards fine-leg and also cracked a neat six over covers. Not quite Ajinkya Rahane and not quite MS Dhoni — somewhere in between, with a lot of wrist work and canny placement.

Iyer had the good sense to stay till the end, as he has a couple of times already this season. He finished with 70 from 49 balls — with ten fours and a six.

In the end, it may be a nothing match — pointless in the whole IPL picture — but one to remember for a fading superstar and a man who has his whole career ahead of him.