Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
Unexpected late twists
Twelve needed off 13 balls, seven wickets in hand. This was a cakewalk for Gujarat Titans. A set Shubman Gill was in charge and dictating terms, playing on his home ground, albeit for a different team. Then came those twists that make the IPL an incomparable and unpredictable affair. There was every possibility of a Super Over or even a miraculous win for Punjab Kings. Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran bowled two magnificent overs to raise hopes of the improbable, before Rahul Tewatia dashed their hopes. It was sloppy on the part of Gujarat. The defending champions nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory for the second game in succession, after Rinku Singh had laughed in the face of cricket logic by smashing Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes to shock them in their last outing.
Tewatia, Punjab’s nemesis
Not often does one find mention in a prominent part of the match review despite facing just two deliveries. But Tewatia in one such person. He has a built a reputation for finishing matches from tense situations, and Mohali witnessed the latest. It was nervy, very nervy, mind you. That attempted scoop could easily have ended up as a mishap. But Tewatia trusted his instincts and skills. He had struck two sixes off the last two balls from Odean Smith to take Gujarat to a thrilling win against the same opposition last year. In that game, he faced three balls. On Thursday, he faced two and made a similar impact. In 2020, playing for Rajasthan Royals, he had struck Kings XI Punjab’s Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in the 18th over to snatch another bizarre win. Teams from Punjab must be sick of the sight of him.
Mohit back with a bang
Before the late drama, Mohit Sharma’s was a masterclass of a bowling exhibition on a pitch fairly conducive for batting. India’s first choice during the 2015 World Cup and the IPL’s highest wicket-taker a year earlier, he had lost his way because of form and fitness issues. Chennai Super Kings, who unearthed his talent on the big stage, had discarded him. But Gujarat Titans understood his utility. A net bowler for them last year, the Haryana bowler made a stunning comeback to the mainstream in Mohali. Introduced into the attack in the 11th over, he used his cutters and slower ones in splendid fashion. It was intelligence and skill at the same time. There was not much for the bowlers from the surface, but he made it look like the ball was stopping and gripping. Major, major comeback.
Punjab choke in the middle
At 91-3 after 12 overs, Punjab Kings looked set to get to 170 at least, if not more. Then came those crippling overs. The next three produced an abysmal eight runs. That was inexplicable. Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Curran, left-handers both, did not get anything right and came to a complete halt. Two of these overs were bowled by Mohit, the other by Rashid Khan. There were 10 dot balls in this period. This is where the match tilted in favour of Gujarat Titans. What could have been a competitive total became a mediocre one. There was late impetus from Shahrukh Khan, but too late. Rajapaksa’s failure to get things going was a huge blow to his team’s chances. Not to portray him as villain, but 20 off 26 balls in the middle overs is simply unacceptable.
Give it to Gill as well
The more one sees of Gill, the more impressed one gets. Silken touch, supreme elegance and the composure of a seasoned campaigner – he has a lot of things right. Tonight, he also gave a telling display of how to bat according to the situation. Yes, his dismissal in the last over attempting a slog sparked panic among the Gujarat fans, but he was a man possessed until then. One has to give it to him because he anchored his team to a crucial win. This was not a blast-everything-out-of-the-park innings. It was sedate, sensible and played according to the need of the hour. But for him, the Gujarat innings could easily have wobbled. After playing second fiddle to Wriddhiman Saha in a brisk opening partnership, Gill took charge and stayed almost till the end. Very mature, very sensible and very effective.
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