In a match that witnessed two superlative hundreds, Shubman Gill‘s unbeaten 104 trumped Virat Kohli‘s 101 not out as Gujarat Titans ended Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL 2023 campaign with a six-wicket win. Here are the takeaways from a rollercoaster of a game.
Gill and the royal flourish
At the end of the game, Gill’s strike-rate was exactly 200. But his innings wasn’t made up of slogs and agricultural hoicks. Instead, he constructed a splendid innings on the back of unhurried swagger and eye-catching shots. Even when Gujarat lost Vijay Shankar, Dasun Shanaka and David Miller in quick succession, Gill didn’t lose the plot. In the penultimate over, he whipped a Harshal Patel full toss for a six, and he provided the finishing touches by lifting Wayne Parnell over long-on in the last over. With that six, he also reached a well-deserved hundred.
Shankar provides support
It has to be said that for large parts of Shankar’s innings, he struggled to find his groove. On occasion, he scored runs off the outside edge of the bat. A few other times, he tried to smash the cover off the ball, resulting in him losing shape on his shots. Perhaps in desperation, he even changed his bat in the 10th over. In the same over, he cracked a fine late-cut. A few overs later, he also smacked Vijaykumar Vyshak for a couple of sixes. Although he fell in the same over, he had done his job as part of Gill’s support cast.
Fine efforts from Siraj and Harshal
The mainstays of RCB’s attack combined to pick up three wickets between them, and gave away just 61 runs in eight overs in very good conditions for batting. Siraj used the three-quarter seam and also bent his back to bowl a hard length. Harshal also tested the middle of the pitch quite often by employing slower short ones. Unfortunately for the duo and RCB, their efforts weren’t enough to steer the side to playoffs.
Kohli’s majestic hundred
Just like Gill, Kohli also explored every nook and cranny of the ground with his range of shots. It was a quintessential knock from Kohli as he brought out the flick, whip, pull and the occasional steer through backward point to put the pressure back on the bowlers. He also showcased his experience as he farmed the strike brilliantly after Bangalore lost both Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell in quick succession. Due to Kohli’s tactical smarts, RCB accumulated as many as 48 runs in the last four overs.
Ultimately, Kohli’s individual brilliance wasn’t enough. If we scratch the surface, for large parts of the season, RCB have been heavily dependant on a few players. Eventually, it cost them in a big game.
State-of-the-art drainage system does its magic
On January 4, 2017, MS Dhoni resigned as India’s limited-overs skipper. On the same day, there was another important event which took place at the Chinnaswamy stadium: The unveiling of the ground’s SubAir drainage system. This drainage system sucks water/moisture at a rate of 10,000 litres per minute. On a day when Bengaluru was battered by heavy rains, this drainage system proved to be Player of the Match as not a single over was reduced.