Gujarat Titans all-rounder Rashid Khan reckons his good performance with the ball gave him the confidence to succeed with the bat after they defeated Rajasthan Royals by three wickets at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur on Wednesday.
Khan accounted for in-form Jos Buttler, dismissing the right-hander for the fifth time in T20s. Furthermore, the Afghan spinner conceded only 18 runs in his quota of four overs and once again bowled an economical spell.
Furthermore, Rashid added the finishing touches in the run-chase of 197, scoring 11-ball 24. The right-hander smashed four fours and added quick runs in the death overs with Rahul Tewatia, who scored 22 runs off 11 balls. The duo were able to score 35 runs in the last two overs to get their team over the line.
Rashid Khan said in the post-match presentation, “Winning the game is more pleasing for me. Happy that I landed the ball where I wanted today and that gave me energy with the bat as well maybe.”
He added, “I haven’t bowled much in the last 3-4 months after the surgery and I just lost a bit of grip on the ball and I had a good session after the last game and it really helped me to get back to my best. I really enjoyed my bowling today. It was just a matter of hitting 3-4 sixes and you need to stay positive.”
On the other hand, Sai Sudharsan scored 35 off 29 balls and added 64 runs with skipper Shubman Gill.
Sudharsan said after the game, “We gave few runs extra in the first innings but we pulled off a great game here. Definitely, a very good powerplay was one of our plans, was a par powerplay and we lost a few wickets back-to-back but we had belief and we won the game.”
He added, “Wicket was not that easy to bat on, it got a little better after the first innings and it was easier for our hitters to smash. This victory was much-needed for us and gives us the momentum. Hopefully we can put up more performances like this.”
Gujarat Titans will next lock horns against Delhi Capitals at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
