Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill disclosed on Wednesday night (April 10) that his team aimed to score 45 runs in the final three overs of the chase. In a dramatic encounter against the Rajasthan Royals, the Titans won by crossing the line with the final ball. Titans have established themselves as a good chasing team since their debut in the 2022 season.
Last night, Titans required 73 off 30 balls at one point, but lost their skipper Gill in the subsequent over, which proved to be a significant blow. R Ashwin’s 17-run over helped the pursuing side, but it ultimately came down to a difficult 35 off 12 balls. But, as they frequently do, the Titans pulled off a heist with Rahul Tewatia in the middle once again. Rashid Khan contributed a magnificent cameo and scored the winning runs, earning him the player of the match title.
“No not really,” Gill said at the post-match presentation ceremony when asked if he lost hopes after his dismissal. “We were targeting 45 in three overs and that is very much gettable. Fifteen runs per over you just need two hits and that was the mindset at that time. Mathematically, both batsmen need to score nine-ball 22 runs and if you think like that, okay, it’s two-three hits in nine balls and if one of the batsmen goes berserk, you’ll see the match getting over in two or three balls prior.”
Last year’s finalists had lost their previous two games prior to this one, and Gill was thrilled that his team was able to win this match despite being behind. “I would have loved to finish the game but very happy with the way Rashid (Khan) bhai and Rahul (Tewatia) bhai finished the game for us,” he told reporters. “In the previous couple of matches, I thought we dominated more than half of the game, but the terrible part was that we played absolutely bad cricket, which is why we lost both games. This game, we were there and thereabouts; we were a little behind the game, and winning on the final ball is always a terrific feeling.”
Meanwhile, Kumar Sangakkara praised the Titans’ late comeback and focused on his own team’s strengths. “First and foremost, we batted extremely well,” he remarked during the post-match press conference. “It was a difficult period to begin with. I thought Sanju (Samson) and Riyan (Parag) rebuilt our innings nicely, Hetty (Hetmyer) was brilliant in his cameo, and Jaiswal appeared to be in good form, so those are all promising signs. I believe we were right there. Kuldeep Sen came back and bowled three excellent overs. We simply lost it towards the backend. We probably did not make the best use of the pitch. But that is how the game goes. I think they played really well, lasted in the game, and took advantage of our mistakes.”
Despite the fact that the Royals had three other bowlers with an economy rate of more than ten, Ashwin came under fire for failing to take any wickets. However, RR’s director of cricket defended the veteran bowler and encouraged him to return strong. “Ash is one of the greatest spinners to have played the game,” Sangakkara emphasized. “You can’t have perfect days all the time. Sometimes you have a rough day. We learn and move on. Ash is a hard competitor. I am confident he will return. I thought we bowled well at first, with spinners Maharaj and Kuldeep Sen coming in. There were a lot of positives to look at, but also a lot of things to improve.”
Riyan Parag’s continued influence was one of the Royals’ positives, as the youngster pounded a 48-ball 76 to help his team reach nearly 200. Sangakkara declined to comment on Parag’s prospects of reaching the World Cup squad. “I don’t know in that sense, it’s way beyond me,” he said. “I believe that everyone may see his potential. I believe Riyan’s main focus right now is on Rajasthan and this season. Whatever occurs will happen after that. Should never get ahead of himself by looking too far into the future, and as long as he keeps his head down, works really hard, bats really well, is very organized, and has worked hard off season, he just needs to keep doing those good things, and good things will happen.”
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