Gujarat Titans Secure Victory with Sai Kishore’s Spin Mastery and Tewatia’s Heroics In IPL 2024
Gujarat Titans displayed their spin prowess, led by Sai Kishore’s exceptional performance, to secure a crucial win against Punjab Kings in TATA IPL 2024 showdown.
The Titans’ spinners, including Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad, stifled the Kings’ batting lineup, setting the stage for Rahul Tewatia’s match-winning batting display.
Punjab Kings 142 (Prabhsimran 35, Brar 29, Sai Kishore 4-33) were defeated by Gujarat Titans 146 for 7 (Tewatia 36*, Gill 35, Harshal 3-15) by three wickets.
The Gujarat Titans basically won the match with their spin for the first 11 overs. With a score of 42 for no loss, Punjab Kings were rolling before Rashid Khan entered the game to bowl the fifth over.
The Titans slow-bowling display at Mullanpur then starts when Rashid bowls a four-run over. Together, he and fellow countryman Noor Ahmad take three wickets in the opening segment of the middle overs. That is, until Sai Kishore, a left-arm spinner, comes crashing in and ruins the middle over for the Kings, taking 4 for 33.
Kings only manage 142, but they create a mess of the defence thanks to Liam Livingstone’s two offbreaks and Harshal Patel’s three wickets for 15. Ultimately, they lacked the Titans’ slow-bowling ability and a formidable total to defend. Without needing five balls to spare, the visiting team easily won.
Gujarat Spinners Restricted Punjab
Rashid rendered himself nearly impervious to blows. He bowled a fifth over that ended with three runs when Kings had hit 10.50 earlier. Then, in the seventh over, Noor, the left-arm wristspinner, got Rilee Russouw leg before wicket to begin the enormous run of spin dominance that would see six more wickets fall to the slow bowlers.
In the five overs following the powerplay, Rashid and Noor bowled together and conceded just 24 runs while capturing two wickets. By the time Sai Kishore arrived, Kings were in severe need of limits. They persisted in attempting to attack him, but he skillfully altered his speed and flight path and continued to trick them.
He smashed the stumps to remove Jitesh Sharma for his first wicket. Ashutosh Sharma was his second wicket, which was highly desired as he holed out to the sweeper cover. Afterwards, he had Harpreet Brar catch at the straight boundary at the end, and Shashank Singh caught and bowled.
The spinners finished their 12 overs with a combined 7 for 68.
Also Read: Hardik Pandya Leads Gujarat Titans to Maiden IPL Victory in 2022
Tewatia Provided The Finishing Touch
Even though the Titans weren’t in much danger, they still needed someone to bat the final inning to win the game. And yet again, Rahul Tewatia was the man. At one point, with five wickets remaining, Titans needed to score 38 runs in the final four overs. Right then, a few wickets for Kings would have totally altered the course of the game.
However, Tewatia struck two fours off Brar’s over to regain control of the necessary rate and the Titans’ advantage in the game. Subsequently, he struck three fours off Kagiso Rabada’s 18th over, in which Shahrukh Khan also hit a six: two hammered down the ground and one tickled through fine leg. They scored twenty runs there, thus putting the game out of reach by lowering the threshold to five off of twelve balls.
A few Kings players had a brief but significant impact on the game. Prabhsimran Singh was the first of these, scoring 35 off 21 balls with three sixes and three fours to lift the Kings innings above the ground. However, he left before the powerplay concluded.
Livingstone took 2 for 19 from his four overs as they were defending their low score. Harshal Patel and Sam Curran supported him, with Harshal grabbing three wickets and Curran taking one. But with the bat, Kings had already conceded too much.
PBKS Captain Under Fire for ‘Bits and Pieces’ Showing
Virender Sehwag recently took aim at Sam Curran’s performance, criticizing the Punjab Kings’ stand-in skipper for his lackluster display in the IPL 2024 season. With Shikhar Dhawan sidelined due to injury, Punjab Kings’ campaign has hit a rough patch, suffering a narrow defeat against Gujarat Titans.
In his scathing remarks, Sehwag highlighted Curran’s shortcomings, particularly his inconsistency as an all-rounder. Despite taking over the captaincy role in Dhawan’s absence, Curran’s performance with bat and ball has failed to meet expectations.
Sehwag, a renowned figure in Indian cricket, questioned Punjab Kings’ batting strategy and raised concerns about Curran’s contribution to the team. He emphasized the need for players who can make a significant impact either with their batting or bowling skills, rather than being ‘bits and pieces’ contributors.
Curran’s stats this season reflect his struggles, with only 152 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 116.03 and just one half-century. On the bowling front, he has managed 11 wickets for PBKS but has faced criticism for his overall performance.
After the recent defeat against GT, Curran acknowledged that PBKS fell short by 10-15 runs and expressed disappointment over their performance post-powerplay. He acknowledged the team’s precarious position in the tournament, stating the necessity to win every remaining game to stay competitive.
The critique from Sehwag underscores the challenges faced by Punjab Kings and raises questions about Curran’s role and impact as a key player in the team’s fortunes.
