Shubman Gill left everyone with something simply superb to remember for a long time, even in an era in which public memory is short and a hectic cricket format makes it shorter. Gujarat Titans rode on his superlative century for a 62-run victory over Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, and entered their second successive Indian Premier League (IPL) final.
As he scripted a powerfully magical century, his third in four games, he drew comparisons with a number of batters, Indian and overseas, from earlier eras. But it would only be fair to say that Gill etched himself in the minds of everyone watching. Be it wristy flicks or muscular pulls, elegant cover-drives or rasping cuts, his strokes were a treat for sore eyes in the Qualifier 2.
Indeed, brute power entangled with sheer elegance, audacity with assurance when he was on strike. Starting rather gently, it was not long before the staccato sound emanating from Gill’s bat acquired overtones of mellifluous rhythm, drowning out even the wild cheering of the delighted home crowd.
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Dropped catches?
The closest Mumbai Indians came to stopping the carnage was when Tim David, fielding in the circle at mid-on, flung himself to his right and got both his hands to the chip that Gill played off Chris Jordan. As he closes his hands on the ball, it bounced off David’s palms on to the turf. Gill, who was on 30 off 20 balls then, finished with 129 off 60 (7 fours, 10 sixes).
There was another sharp chance that Gill offered Mumbai. His blistering straight drive flew to Cameron Green, the bowler, on his follow-through and slipped past after stinging the fingers on his left hand. He was then on 58 off 37 balls. He is not the kind of batter who would waste such chances, especially given the rich vein of form he is in.
Sai Sudarshan, the left-hand bat from Tamil Nadu who joined Gill after Wriddhiman Saha was stumped down the leg-side by Ishan Kishan off Piyush Chawla, was just a bit more than a privileged spectator during the 138-run second-wicket stand, which spanned a mere 64 deliveries. Gill scored 95 of those runs before he fell to Akash Madhwal.
Looking back, it turned out to be a good toss for Hardik Pandya to be left without having to make a decision. He indicated that he would also have bowled first, given the expectation of rain later, against conventional wisdom of batting first in a big knockout game. The moist outfield added to the bowlers’ challenges after the first couple of overs, while the pitch itself held no threats.
Shami delivers knockout blows
Mumbai Indians had to change their opening combination, pressing Nehal Wadhera, the Impact Player substitute, into service in place of Kishan, who went off the field for the final four overs of the Gujarat innings after Chris Jordan’s elbow accidentally poked him in his eye. Wadhera, one of Mumbai’s finds of the season, lasted three deliveries.
Green retired with an injury to his left forearm after being struck by a short ball from Pandya, while Rohit Sharma, the skipper, skied a catch off the leading edge when Mohammed Shami pitched the ball short. Midway through the powerplay, Mumbai Indians were in poor shape.
Varma eases scoreboard pressure
Tilak Varma dazzled for a while, taking 24 runs off Shami’s third over, but Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s ace leg-spinner, sent him packing. In making 43 off 14 balls (five fours, three sixes), Varma contributed to reducing some of the massive pressure that the scoreboard was exerting with its persistent reminder that the home side had scored 233 for 3 in their 20 overs.
Green returned to team up with Suryakumar Yadav and deliver some scintillating strokeplay. Yet, you could tell that the pressure was beginning to tell on Green (30, 20 balls, two fours, two sixes) when he played across the line and was bowled by a brilliant delivery from Josh Little, the Irish left-arm seamer.
SKY keeps hopes alive, but Mohit cleans up tail
Suryakumar was the last vestige of hope for Mumbai, and the team’s most prolific batter this season responded gamely by taking on the Gujarat attack. He scored another characteristic half-century, playing with the bowlers’ minds, but lost his leg stump after making 61 (38 balls, seven fours, two sixes) when he tried a paddle in Mohit Sharma’s first over.
Mohit, with a wealth of experience behind him, bowled seven overs in two matches in 2019 and 2020 and spent time in the wilderness, including a year as one of Gujarat’s net bowlers. He wrapped up the lower order with his craft and accuracy. On a track that offered the bowlers so little encouragement, he earned himself his best IPL figures of 5 for 10.
For all that, this was a night that everyone watching – either at the Narendra Modi Stadium, or on some digital platform – will remember for Gill’s innings. Everything else came a distant second. As he found his own meter to write poetry on Friday night, his dream knock gave the Mumbai bowlers nightmares.