Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India]: Following Gujarat Titans’ (GT) 36-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI), GT skipper Shubman Gill shed light on the team’s strategic decision to use a black soil pitch, stating that batting second on such a surface becomes challenging once the ball gets old.
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“Batting on black soil once the ball gets old, it is difficult to clear the boundary, so we tried to maximize the powerplay,” Gill explained during the post-match presentation. “The decision was taken before the first match that the second match will be played on black soil. This wicket suits us.”
Gill also addressed his decision not to utilize star spinner Rashid Khan’s full four-over quota. “I actually kept him for the end, but I thought the pacers were bowling well. Prasidh was bowling well, so just wanted to use the pacers.”
GT’s Dominant Performance
GT continued their dominance over MI in Ahmedabad, extending their unbeaten record at the venue against them to 4-0 and improving their overall head-to-head tally to 4-2.
After MI opted to bowl first, GT’s openers Shubman Gill (38 off 27 balls) and Sai Sudharsan (63 off 41 balls) set the foundation with a solid 78-run partnership. Another 50-run stand followed between Sudharsan and Jos Buttler (39 off 24 balls), pushing GT towards a strong total. However, from 179/4, GT suffered a late collapse and finished at 196/8 in 20 overs.
Hardik Pandya (2/29) was the standout bowler for MI, while Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Satyanarayana Raju took a wicket each.
MI Falls Short in the Chase
In pursuit of 197, MI struggled early as they lost Rohit Sharma (8) and Ryan Rickelton cheaply. Tilak Varma (39 off 36 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (48 off 28 balls) attempted to revive the innings with a 62-run partnership. However, their dismissals triggered MI’s downfall, and they could only manage 160/6 in 20 overs.
Prasidh Krishna (2/18) and Mohammed Siraj (2/34) were the pick of GT’s bowlers, while Kagiso Rabada and Sai Kishore also contributed with a wicket each.
With this victory, GT secured two crucial points, reinforcing their position in the tournament.