Gilchrist marks his Twenty20 territory

Had Adam Gilchrist been allowed to bat longer, he would almost certainly have broken Brendon McCullum's record of 13 sixes in the opening game of the IPL. So breathtaking was Gilchrist's assault that he smashed ten sixes during his 48-ball innings and achieved the Deccan Chargers' maiden victory of the tournament with 44 balls to spare. His 109 not out was his first Twenty20 score above 50, the IPL's fastest century, and the third-fastest in all Twenty20 matches.

It shouldn't surprise many, for Gilchrist had nearly broken Viv Richards' record for the fastest Test century against England in Perth in 2006. Richards' record was 56 balls, Gilchrist did it in 57. He later broke the record for the highest score in a World Cup final when he ransacked Sri Lanka for 149 off 104 balls. And today, in front of a full house at the DY Patil Stadium, Gilchrist left his ominous mark on the Twenty20 format, smashing his previous highest score of 48.

He took full advantage of a bowling attack that was low on confidence after three successive losses and perhaps tired, having played their third game this week inside five days. The suspension of Harbhajan Singh and the continued absence of Sachin Tendulkar heightened their problems even though Shaun Pollock, the stand-in captain, refused to single out the pair's absence as an "excuse".

Gilchrist, however, wasn't about to sympathise. He had to inspire his own team who, despite a formidable batting line-up, had endured three straight defeats. His job was made easier by the Deccan bowlers who restricted Mumbai to a below-par 154. And once Mumbai's bowlers began to feed him short deliveries, Gilchrist feasted.

Even Pollock, the former South Africa captain, buckled and made seven bowling changes inside the first ten overs. It didn't matter for Gilchirst treated everyone the same way. Pollock was smashed for 23 in an over, Abhishek Nayar for 22, young offspinner Siddharth Chitnis for 12, and Dwayne Bravo got hit for over ten twice.

Gilchrist traumatised the Mumbai bowlers and carted them over the leg side even if the length was only a fraction short. He scored 77 runs on the leg side and nine of his ten sixes came between long leg and long-on, courtesy a shuffle towards the off side and a full and fast swing of his bat.

Unlike McCullum, whose 158 against Bangalore Royal Challengers had some streaky shots, Gilchrist's strokes were extremely well hit. Like a good writer, who banks on brevity, Gilchrist's batting is minimalist. He judges the length quickly and then needs to decide where to dispatch the ball.

Gilchrist's dominance was total. Within an hour, Deccan had scored 100, 77 of which had come from Gilchrist. VVS Laxman, the Deccan captain, was a happy spectator at the other end and said later that Gilchrist was "unstoppable" and he was lucky not having to worry setting fields for him.

Each time the IPL has had uncertainty hanging over it, a brilliant performance by a player has overshadowed the questions. When people wondered whether the tournament would be a success, McCullum provided a pyrotechnic start. And now when the Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth controversy was taking centrestage, Gilchrist has shifted the focus back to cricket in the best way possible.