Gujarat Titans wore the majestic look worthy of the defending champions while securing a 55-run victory over the Mumbai Indians in the Tata Indian Premier League at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera on Tuesday. It was a command performance, but when rivals consider that Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat team has room for improvement in their batting, the formidable nature of the side becomes apparent.
Gujarat Start in Cruise Control
There was no evidence of such a one-sided contest when Hardik (13), a free-stroking Shubman Gill (56, 34 balls, seven fours, one six) and Vijay Shankar (19) fell to catches in the straight field in the span of six overs. Gujarat were, by IPL standards, only cruising along, from 50 in six overs to 103 in the 13th.
Hardik’s dismissal, to the first ball of Piyush Chawla’s leg-spin, and Shankar falling in his third over would have given Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai Indians skipper, hope that Gujarat could be restricted. With Kumar Kartikeya, the left-arm spinner, bowling four good overs, including the wicket of Gill, Mumbai needed their other bowlers to close the door on the hosts.
Manohar and Miller provide the turbo boost
Few would have reckoned with Abhinav Manohar (42, 21 balls, three fours, three sixes) turning the game on its head. Together with David Miller (46, 22 balls, two fours, four sixes), their left-hand batting stalwart from South Africa, he infused urgency into the Gujarat innings during a 71-run fifth-wicket stand from just 36 balls.
It is not often that Miller plays what may seem the second fiddle, but Manohar came up with such clean hitting that the South African ace would have considered it a joy to be able to watch it from across the length of the pitch. Manohar was comfortable against spin and pace until he played an inside-out shot off a Riley Meredith full toss and was caught.
Eventually, the team doubled its score with 104 runs in the final seven overs. As many 57 of those 104 came in the last three overs, with Rahul Tewatia (20 not out, five balls, three sixes) joining the feast.
Shami and Hardik keep Mumbai on a leash
The systematic assault at the tail-end of the innings not only exposed Mumbai Indians’ death-overs bowling but also meant that the shoulders of their own batters would feel the weight exerted by the immense scoreboard pressure when they set about seeking the team’s fourth win in seven games. It was the perfect scenario for the home bowlers to drive home the advantage.
With an asking rate of 10.4 runs an over, Mumbai’s chances of making a match of it depended on a good batting powerplay. Mohammed Shami, Gujarat’s new-ball banker, and Hardik were on the money, and added to Mumbai’s woes. Hardik cramped Rohit, his counterpart, for room, and induced a top edge for a caught-and-bowled dismissal in his first over.
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It would be unfair to not think of Shami’s three overs with the new ball as having a big influence on the game. He finished with none for 18 in his spell, but tested Ishan Kishan’s technique with accuracy that would do a spinner proud. With Hardik generating pace from the other end, Shami ensured that the good work of his team’s batters would not go waste.
Afghan spin twins work their magic
The sight of two Afghanistan wrist spinners, Rashid Khan and the left-handed Noor Ahmad, working in tandem was a delightful one. Their nagging accuracy was a highlight as they complemented each another in driving Mumbai to the edge of the cliff. Their bowling was of the highest quality as they teased the batters and heaped frustration on them.
Rashid claimed left-handers, Ishan Kishan (13 off 21 balls) and Tilak Varma (2 off 3), the Impact Player sub, in his second over. He ended Kishan’s painful stay by tempting him to slog against the googly for Josh Little to complete a good catch. He then got the cricket ball to squeeze between Varma’s bat and front pad to earn a leg-before verdict on review.
The teenaged Ahmad proved to be a worthy partner at the other end, asking questions of and keeping the pressure on the batters. He castled the big-hitting Cameron Green (33, 26 balls, three sixes), sent Tim David back with a first-ball dismissal – a catch in the deep off a dipping full toss – and claimed a stunning return catch off Suryakumar Yadav (23, 12 balls, three fours, one six).
It was a no-brainer for Hardik to employ eight successive overs of spin because Rashid and Ahmad would not give the Mumbai stroke-makers the pace to play their shots. That they were rewarded with a series of scalps was a bonus, and it allowed Hardik to not worry about bringing on Mohit Sharma and Josh Little until the 14th over.
Heavy defeat dents Mumbai’s net run rate as well
After the wrist spinners claimed five wickets in their eight overs, Nehal Wadhera (40, 21 balls, three fours, three sixes) entertained during a defiant 45-run stand with Chawla. Suryakumar’s fall, the sixth wicket, meant the writing was on the wall, but the left-hand batters made the Gujarat fielders work hard for a while.
At the halfway stage in the league, with all teams having played seven games each, Gujarat joined Chennai Super Kings at the top of the table with 10 points from five wins. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, remained in seventh place with six points. As damaging was the fact that their net run rate spiralled southwards because of this massive defeat.