Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya admitted his team was 7-10 runs short after they were put in to bat by Kane Williamson in the 21st match of the ongoing IPL 2022 at the Dr. DY Sports Academy, Mumbai on Monday. Gujarat Titans posted a fighting score of 162 runs after captain Hardik Pandya scored his maiden fifty as a leader.
However, it was not enough as SRH captain Kane Williamson scored 57 runs whereas Nicholas Pooran added the finishing touches with a fine cameo of 21-ball 35 to take their team to eight-wicket win.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans could not get the momentum in their batting innings as they lost the early wicket of in-form Shubman Gill. Matthew Wade and young Sai Sundharsan were also dismissed cheaply to leave GT in a spot of bother at 64-3 after eight overs.
SRH bowlers were able to keep things quiet in the middle order and GT could not get a finish they would have hoped from a well-settled Hardik Pandya as he scored an unbeaten 50 off 42 balls.
On the other hand, Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma gave a steady start to their team as they added 64 runs for the opening alliance in nine overs. The youngster continued his good form and played the role of the aggressor whereas Williamson played a second fiddle.
Things got a bit tricky for SRH when they needed 34 runs off 22 balls but Nicholas Pooran kept his nerve to get his teamover the line.
Hardik Pandya said in the post-match presentation, “I think batting wise we were 7-10 runs short, that would have made difference in the end. We started well with the ball, but those two overs where they scored 30 runs, got them back into the game. IPL is tough so I tried to show some toughness (against Malik). That (blow to the helmet) woke me up. They bowled well and stuck to their plans, credit to them for the way they bowled. We need to learn from the mistakes, we will have a conversation and a laugh as we have out next game in a couple of days.”
This was Gujarat Titans’ first loss of the season after three consecutive wins. Gujarat Titans will next face Rajasthan Royals at the Dr. DY Sports Academy, Mumbai on Thursday.
