Synopsis: Gujarat’s spin trio of Rashid, Noor and Sai were superb in restricting Punjab. The run-chase of 143 was largely soporific but Gill and Tewatia were good enough at either end as GT won by 3 wickets in the last over
Jugalbandi, in the musical sense, refers to duets performances where two individual artistes share the stage for one rendition. For Gujarat Titans, that often comes in the form of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad bowling in tandem. It’s a thumb rule in IPL that if you are an overseas spinner trying to find a place in the playing XI, you better be good (read: wrist or mystery spinner). GT have the luxury of playing not one but two because the Afghans are that good.
Punjab were off to a flier at 42/0 after 4 overs when Rashid came into the attack and conceded just 3 runs in his first over. Bowling his first, just after the Powerplay, Noor accounted for Rilee Rossouw, out LBW. Next over, stand-in captain Sam Curran was also out LBW as Rashid struck. The middle-order dangerman for Kings was Liam Livingstone and Noor bowled a beauty to have him caught at slip. Rashid finished with 4-0-15-1 while Noor registered 4-0-20-2 to suck the momentum out of Punjab’s batting effort.
Sai Kishore back with a bang
The unintended consequence of having two class overseas spinners is the limited opportunities for R Sai Kishore. He didn’t get his chance at Chennai, so many thought GT was where he would thrive. But it hasn’t panned out that way. He played a couple of matches this season but went missing after that.
Brought back into the XI as the third act behind Rashid and Noor, Sai showed why he is rated so highly, with a delightful display of slow left-arm spin. After being hit for a six first ball, Sai slowed it down beautifully – around 82kph – to dismiss a struggling Jitesh Sharma.
He then dismissed the red-hot Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh, Punjab’s best batsmen this season, again using flight to deceive them. A dropped catch by David Miller spoiled the left-armer’s bowling figures as Harpreet Brar, after the reprieve, hit a four and a six. Kishore did eventually get him too, finishing with figures of 4/33.
Rahul Tewatia the man again who is at the finishing line guiding them home 😎
Gujarat Titans have come up on 🔝 in Mullanpur with a clinical performance and have settled their scores with #PBKS 🙌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/avVO2pCwJO#TATAIPL | #PBKSvGT | @gujarat_titans pic.twitter.com/h8BiuB7UVT
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 21, 2024
Ice-Man delivers
The GT run-chase was largely forgettable but for flashes of brilliance at either end. Twice during his knock of 35, Shubman Gill’s ridiculous use of wrists stood out against Kagiso Rabada. First, the short-arm jab square of the wicket. Then, a front-foot flick past midwicket. But once he fell, the run-chase meandered before Rahul Tewatia decided to haunt Punjab, not for the first time.
One of Ian Bishop’s classics on air is “The Ice-Man Cometh!” when Tewatia pulled off one of his many end-game heists in 2022 against RCB. This wasn’t quite a heist. He initially took his time to assess the pace and bounce of the pitch but finished with a flurry of boundaries, his 36* off 18 balls the innings of the night, as he finished things off calmly.
Brief scores: Punjab Kings 142 all out in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 35, Harpreet Brar 29; Sai Kishore 4/33) lost to Gujarat Titans 146/7 in 19.1 overs (Rahul Tewatia 36 not out, Shubman Gill 35; Harshal Patel 3/15, Liam Livingstone 2/19) by 3 wickets
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