Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], April 11 (ANI): Following a victory against the table toppers Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudarshan spoke about the last ball thriller between the two sides saying that the team had believed in themselves that they could win the match.
A fine half-century by Shubman Gill and brilliant finishing by Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan helped GT secure a thrilling three-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2024 clash at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday.
The left-hand batter stated that the wicket was not easy to bat on in the first innings but in the second innings it got a little better and their batters took advantage of that.
“We gave a few runs extra in the first innings but we pulled off a great game here. Definitely, a very good powerplay was one of our plans, was a par powerplay and we lost a few wickets back-to-back but we had belief and we won the game. The wicket was not that easy to bat on, it got a little better after the first innings and it was easier for our hitters to smash. This victory was much-needed for us and gave us the momentum. Hopefully, we can put up more performances like this,” Sudarshan said in the post-match interview.
Recapping the match, GT opted to bowl first after winning the toss. After losing Buttler and Jaiswal early, RR recovered with a massive 130-run third wicket stand between skipper Sanju Samson (68* in 38 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Riyan Parag (76 in 48 balls, with three fours and five sixes). RR posted 196/3 in 20 overs.
Rashid Khan (1/18) was the pick of the bowlers for GT. Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma also took a wicket each.
In the run chase of 197, GT started with a 64-run partnership between Sai Sudarshan (35 in 29 balls, with three fours and a six) and skipper Shubman Gill. Wickets kept falling from the other end and Gill scored 72 in 44 balls, with six fours and two sixes before perishing at the score of 133 as the fifth wicket in the 16th over.
A brief cameo by Shahrukh Khan (14 in eight balls, with a four and six) and later a 38-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia (22 in 11 balls, with three fours) and Rashid (24* in 11 balls, with four boundaries) infused life into the match again.
Rashid finished off the chase with a four on the final ball.
Kuldip Sen (3/41) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/43) were the top bowlers for RR. Avesh Khan also took a wicket. GT is now in the sixth spot in the table, with three wins and three losses, giving them six points. RR have suffered their first loss after four wins and with eight points, they are still at the top of the tally.
Rashid took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award. (ANI)
