Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 2 (ANI): Records toppled during Gujarat Titans’ pulsating clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad as Sai Sudharsan breezed past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar for fastest to 2000 T20 runs, and flamboyant Jos Buttler completed 4000 IPL runs.
After being put to bat, Gujarat staged a run-fest in Ahmedabad on Friday with their blistering displays. Sudharsan laid the foundation with skipper Shubman Gill by raising an 87-run opening stand for the hosts.
Sudharsan flexed his boundary-hitting prowess and slammed 48 from 23 deliveries. During his swashbuckling display, the young southpaw crossed the 2000-run mark in T20s in his 54th innings, bettering Sachin’s 59. Overall, he is the second-fastest behind former Australian batter Shaun Marsh’s record of 53 innings.
After Zeeshan Ansari brought Sudharsan’s power-packed performance to an end, Buttler came in to inflict his carnage. He dealt with boundaries straightaway, emerging as a major tormentor for the Titans.
With his rollicking 64(37), he crossed the 4000-run mark in the cash-rich league. He took 2,677 balls to achieve the milestone, the third-fewest by a player after Chris Gayle (2,653) and AB de Villiers (2,658).
The troika of Gill, Sudharsan, and Buttler laid the foundation for Gujarat’s grand total. Hyderabad stuck to its short-ball ploy, but its lacklustre execution led to its downfall.
Considering the conditions, Harshal Patel appeared to be the best suited to bowl on the deck, but he perished just like the rest.
Sudharsan provided an insight into the conditions during the break and said, The wicket was a bit difficult. It was a bit slow and kept low when we started playing. The way Shubi and I showed the intent, the first six overs were really good, and that’s why we were able to put a good score out there.”
While outlining his approach, he said, “I am trying to time the ball rather than hitting and smacking the ball. I think the touch is really good, so I’m able to get the results.” (ANI)
