In the match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, the Gujarat Titans achieved their position as the table-toppers with a comprehensive 58-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals. The Royals’ chase of a victory target of 218 runs ended prematurely as they collapsed for 159 in 19.2 overs, and the GT registered their fourth win in a row.
The Archer-Gill Showdown: A Thrilling Encounter
The first ball of the second over by Archer shattered Gill, who was an important cog in his wheels. GT needed a good score from their captain, Gill, for them to pile up a formidable total after being put in by the Royals. However, Archer denied GT a good start by castling Gill on the first ball of his second over, which saw the ball moving sharply back in and sneaking through the batter’s defenses and crashing into the off-stump. And here was yet another occasion when Archer got Gill out in IPL, and this was the third time for a mere 10 runs off 15 balls.
GT Sai Sudharsan Steals the Limelight with a Match-Winning Performance
But what Gill couldn’t do, Sai Sudharshan managed to do. The GT opener saw off what has been a magnificent spell of about 3 overs of Jofra Archer to score his third fifty for the season, finishing it in 32 balls, and then went on to score 82 runs off 53 balls, which had 3 sixes and 8 fours, making him GT’s highest run-scorer. His innings was pure class when he was batting, playing some lovely shots as well as rotating the strike masterfully.
Prasidh Krishna’s Masterclass: A Turning Point in the Match
Commercially, Royals released Prasidh Krishna last year before the mega auction and bought him at Rs 9.50 crore for GT. As a former player, Krishna on Wednesday turned the match around against his ex-team by dealing a triple whammy. First, the pacer dismissed his former captain, Sanju Samson, for 41, and in a quick succession of overs, sent Jofra Archer (4) back into the dugout. Three balls later, he delivered the final blow to the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer, who had tormented his current team with 52 runs laced by 3 sixes and 4 fours off just 32 balls, as Krishna finished with brilliant figures of 4-0-24-3.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
