Given the way Gujarat Titans’ middle-order has fared this season, not many would have given them a chance to win the game at the halfway mark, when Rajasthan Royals finished at 196 in their allotted 20 overs. But a resilient Shubman Gill, with another captain’s knock, and the lower-middle-order’s resistance defied the odds. They put an end to RR’s unbeaten streak in this year’s IPL by chasing the target on the last ball of the match, winning the cliffhanger and maintaining their dominant record over the Royals.
Jaiswal on a lean run
Once again, Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to make it past the Powerplay, a recurring theme this season. With only 39 runs to his name from four games, Jaiswal’s form had been a topic of discussion. Coming into this match, the pressure was on him to perform. The match-up couldn’t have been more favorable for him, especially since he was up against Umesh Yadav, who failed to take any wicket in the Powerplay last year. Moreover, this season, Umesh had only managed to secure three wickets. With all these factors considered, Jaiswal was poised for a significant scoring opportunity.
It was a set-up for Jaiswal to make a significant contribution. Initially, he played cautiously, gradually building his innings and positioning himself to take on the bowlers. His first boundary, a crisp four, hinted at the chance of a breakthrough performance. However, after facing 14 more deliveries, his innings came to an end – 24 runs off 19 balls. The GT bowlers kept him in check, consistently bowling on length or back-of-length areas, making it difficult for Jaiswal to find scoring opportunities. In an attempt to accelerate the run rate, the southpaw attempted an audacious lap shot, only to miscue it.
Solid partnership between Parag and Samson
The partnership between these two players came at a potentially challenging phase towards the end of the Powerplay. Jos Buttler’s scratchy eight from 10 balls and Jaiswal’s cameo of 24 from 19 hinted at a pitch where comfortable stroke-making seemed to be difficult at the start. Samson certainly knows how to illuminate the IPL stage. He played according to the situation and focused on building a solid partnership along with Parag, who was dropped twice early on.
The duo kept RR’s scoreboard ticking with aggressive strokeplay, displaying little concern for their wickets after the ninth over. It seemed they had no regard for their wickets once the ninth over concluded. Apart from Rashid Khan, who posed a threat during his four-over spell, the other GT bowlers struggled against Samson and Parag, who forged a formidable partnership of 130 runs off 78 balls. Parag punished Noor Ahmad severely, smashing three sixes on the leg-side. The highlight of the partnership was that Parag never allowed pressure to mount on his senior pro. He took calculated risks, picked his bowlers, and played shots all around the park to outscore his captain.
GT’s attempt to utilise their pacers proved futile against the relentless onslaught of Samson and Parag. Noor and Mohit Sharma, GT’s middle-over specialists, leaked runs at a rate of over 10 runs per over. RR scored 91 runs in the middle overs (7-15) at a run rate of 10.11, setting the stage for a formidable total close to 200, which they eventually achieved.
Lightning Sen strikes thrice
There is no substitute for express pace, and Kuldeep Sen demonstrated that. GT were off to a steady start – 63 in eight overs. The key was that they didn’t lose any wickets. Kuldeep was brought into the attack in the ninth over. It took him just two balls to make an impact. He pinned Sai Sudharsan with a straight delivery bowled at 147 kph. Next ball, he welcomed Matthew Wade with a quick bouncer. This forced Wade onto the backfoot, and in the delivery, he got out, his feet were inside the crease as he tried to cut a ball too close to his body.
It was that Kuldeep bouncer that forced Wade to minimise the feet movement which resulted in his wicket. To Kuldeep’s credit, his planning was spot on. Next up, Abhinav Manohar, who played the wrong line and was undone by Kuldeep’s pace as his stumps were disturbed. It took just nine balls for the fast bowler to make an impact. His spell rattled GT.
Titans started strong, stumbled, then finished strong
Titans eased out off the blocks with a fifty-run opening stand. Sai Sudharsan was all poise and wrists, hitting three early boundaries, while Shubman Gill looked to go after the bowling, allowing Sai to settle in. Titans looked to be cruising when they were 63-0. However, the dismissal of Sai in the second ball of the ninth over sparked an extraordinary collapse.
Kuldeep was the wrecker-in-chief with three wickets. Four wickets were taken by RR in the middle overs. Gill was left stranded at one end as he saw another middle-order collapse. The GT skipper managed to pull things back with a string of boundaries after reaching his fifty. Once he got out, 64 runs were still required. Shahrukh Khan’s GT debut didn’t go as planned. Then, against the odds, GT’s lower-middle-order came to the rescue as Rashid and Rahul Tewatia forged a 39-run partnership, which came off just 19 balls to change the course of the game.
At last, it came down to the final ball, and Rashid, who starred with the ball, played a cut for four to win the game for his team.