Shubman Gill was named the player of the match for his batting performance and how he led his side in the first innings. As a captain, Gill’s work was cut out for him when Will Jacks and Suryakumar Yadav had stitched a 71-run stand. The GT skipper kept his spinners in the attack and reaped the rewards with Sai Kishore picking up a couple of wickets.
With the bat in hand, it was a pretty slow knock from the right-hander. He scored 43 runs in 46 balls. However, being at the crease would have meant that GT did not lose another wicket, which could have shot up the DLS par score. Such was his focus on the crease that it took a beauty from Jasprit Bumrah to get the better of the 25-year-old.
Rashid Khan was at his best tonight and played a huge role in turning the match on its head, along with Sai Kishore. The Afghan spinner had been off colour this season so far, with his length being pretty short. But the wrist spinner was right on the money with his lines and lengths and troubled the MI batters. He dismissed the top scorer, Will Jacks and got GT back into the game.
Sai Kishore has not been used by Shubman Gill a lot in the last few games. Once the left-handers are at the crease, the skipper tends to hold Kishore back. Meanwhile, when Jacks and Suryakumar were batting, the left-arm spinner from GT was introduced into the attack right after the power play. He was expensive at the beginning of the spell, possibly due to a lack of bowling in the last few games. But once he found his line and length, Kishore wreaked havoc against the right-handers. He broke the 71-run stand for the third wicket by dismissing SKY. His second wicket was his former skipper, Hardik Pandya.
Shubman Gill played an unusual knock, but it still proved to be pretty vital. The right-handed batter was not at his best and was struggling a bit to time the ball. However, he remained at the crease, which meant that the DLS par score was kept in check. A wicket in such a case could have meant that they could have been behind when the rain came at the 14th over mark. In his 46-ball knock, Gill smashed three fours and six sixes.
Sherfane Rutherford played a crucial cameo coming off the bench as an impact sub in the second innings. The left-handed batter came at a time when the Gujarat Titans were meandering in the chase and were a few runs behind the DLS par score. He smashed a few lusty blows and got his team ahead of the DLS par score. He smashed a couple of fours and sixes each in his 15-ball knock, which fetched 28 runs.
There is no denying the fact that Will Jacks was pretty lucky in his knock. However, he made sure to make the most of the lives provided to him by the GT fielders. He was dismissed by Sai Sudharsan when he had not scored a single run. The English batter was dropped once again when he was on 29 runs. The 26-year-old went on to score 53 runs in 35 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes.
Jasprit Bumrah once again showcased why he is such a great bowler as he turned the game on its head. He was wicketless in the first couple of overs, but gave away only six runs in 12 balls, which meant that GT was pretty much behind the DLS par score. Once the rain stopped the game, the game resumed after 14 overs, and the Titans got ahead of the par score. Bumrah came back to bowl and got the five-time champions ahead in the game. He picked up a couple of wickets, more importantly, dismissing Shubman Gill.
Trent Boult got the new ball moving once again, and it resulted in another first-over wicket. While Deepak Chahar bowled the first over of the second innings, Boult dismissed Orange Cap contender, Sai Sudharsan, for a score of only five runs to get the ball moving for the hosts. Only 17 runs came off his three overs in the power play. Coming on to bowl his final over, Boult, like Bumrah, picked up a wicket after the rain break while giving away only five runs off the final over.
It was an innings of two halves for the two teams. The first half, in spite of losing two wickets in the first four overs, was pretty much dominated by the hosts. There were three catches dropped in the power play itself, with Will Jacks and Suryakumar Yadav getting lucky. The two right-handers stitched together a 71-run stand for the third wicket.
Meanwhile, Sai Kishore, who had been used as a specialist fielder in the last few games, got into the attack. The left-arm spinner picked up a couple of wickets, more importantly breaking the partnership by dismissing Suryakumar. Rashid Khan too found his magic as he dismissed Will Jacks. Both spinners were at the forefront as GT turned the game on its head with a wicket each in four consecutive overs. The MI batters fell like dominoes from the 11th over mark.
The second innings were stopped twice, and different teams were happier on both occasions. It was a masterclass of bowling from Jasprit Bumrah, as the best bowler in the world showcased why he is rated so highly. His first two overs cost only six runs, with the GT batters playing his overs carefully. There were no attacking shots played by Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler when he was bowling. He came to bowl after a rain break and changed the game on its head. Bumrah picked up a couple of wickets, importantly rattling Gill’s stumps. Trent Boult, for the umpteenth time in his career, picked up a wicket in his first over. The left-arm pacer got rid of Sai Sudharsan for a score of only five runs.
Amidst the falling wickets, Shubman Gill played an unusual knock and went at less than a run-a-ball pace for his 43 runs. By doing so what Gill had made sure that his team would not lose regular wickets, which would keep the DLS par score in check. He received some great support from Jos Buttler earlier in the innings, who scored 30 runs in 27 balls. Sherfane Rutherford probably had sealed the win for the Gujarat Titans earlier in the game with his knock of 28 runs off 15 deliveries.
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