Written by Vaibhav Tripathi
In a thrilling encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Titans (GT) emerged victorious over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2023, thanks to an unforgettable 129 from Shubman Gill, and an outstanding performance by Mohit Sharma, their veteran pace bowler. Mohit’s exceptional figures of 5-10 from 2.2 overs played a pivotal role in Gujarat’s triumph, making him the first bowler to claim a five-wicket haul for the franchise in the history of the tournament.
Mohit showcased his prowess by dismantling Mumbai’s chase in just 14 deliveries. Introduced in the 15th over, he swiftly dismissed the well-set Suryakumar Yadav and Vishnu Vinod, putting Gujarat in a commanding position. He then sealed victory by removing Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, and Kumar Kartikeya.
With this remarkable performance, Mohit now has the second-best figures in IPL-playoff history, behind only Akash Madhwal’s record-breaking 5-5 for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2023 Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants. Reflecting on his exceptional spell, Mohit offered some insight into his plans against the dangerous Suryakumar.
“I was a bit lucky to get five wickets so quickly,” he said in an interview with the broadcaster after the game. “The ball was skidding nicely, but the way SKY (Suryakumar Yadav) and Tilak (Varma) were batting, we felt the game could slip if they didn’t get out. I had decided that if I am bowling against SKY, I won’t experiment much. We had a meeting where we discussed that we mustn’t try too much against Surya, it makes things easier for him.
“So, the idea was to bowl length balls. Even if we get hit for six sixes, it doesn’t matter, because we felt that is the length most difficult for him to play his shots. The match wasn’t over at that stage, but that wicket (Surya’s) meant that we were in the game. There was a big relief to take that wicket.”
On Sunday, May 28, Gujarat will look to defend their title against Chennai Super Kings, the four-time champions who will be playing in their tenth final.