Another match, another success story for Gujarat Titans. The reigning IPL champions showed to the world why they are such a force to reckon with. No amount of pace attack by Delhi Capitals could stop GT’s winning juggernaut. Experts were citing Kotla’s track record. Out of 10 matches that were played in Kotla, 8 were won by the team that came to bat second. So, when Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first, many were expecting that history will be repeated at Arun Jaitley Stadium. And it did happen.
One player that stood out in this fantastic chase was GT’s Sai Sudharshan. The man never lost the plot and played the brilliant innings even as he saw the departure of GT’s openers in quick succession. Gujarat Titans were 54 for 3 with skipper Hardik Pandya already back in the pavilion. So when Sudharshan walked into the stadium, he had a very critical job chalked out. Maintain the run momentum without losing the wicket. With superb support by Shankar and later David Miller, Sudharshan kept the scoreboard ticking. GT won the match with 11 balls to spare.
“He (Sai Sudharsan) is been batting terrifically. Credit to the support staff and to him as well. The amount of batting he’s done in the last 15 days, all the result you see is all his hard work. Going forward, if I’m not wrong, in two years, he’ll do something great for franchise cricket and eventually for India,” said GT captain at the post-match presentation. Miller’s terrific 31 off 16 propelled GT’s chase and it looked more like a walk in the park.
If the batters did their job well, earlier in the evening, Gujarat Titans bowlers did some disciplined bowling that restricted the home team to paltry 162. Axar Patel and Sarfaraz Khan helped in putting a challenging total by DC. Skipper David Warner couldn’t do much. Md Shami’s swing was splendid.
Rishabh Pant was also seen in the stadium cheering for his team. Pant, the regular skipper of DC, had met with a horrific car crash and is recuperating at the moment.
(With PTI inputs)