NEWS
Follow UsRajasthan Royals came into the Wednesday encounter having won their first four games and a stronghold at the top of the points table. However, they failed to sustain the momentum in the Gujarat Titans clash in which they failed to defend 196 runs in Jaipur.
Shubman Gill, with his 72, brought Gujarat close before Rashid Khan and Shahrukh Khan joined forces to chase down 42 runs in the last three overs. However, Rajasthan Royals’ skipper and one of the prime architects of their batting tonight, Sanju Samson believed that Rajasthan had a stronghold in the game with dew being virtually non-existent in the game.
“While I was batting I thought something around 180 would've been a fighting score. 196 was a winning score I thought. With no dew, our bowling lineup should've done it. It wasn't easy to go hard at the start of the innings. 197 at Jaipur, without dew, we'll take it any day,” Samson said at the end of the match.
“Hardest job in the tournament when a captain loses the game and has to tell where the game was lost. When the emotions come down, I'll be able to tell clearly. Have to give credit to the Gujarat Titans. That's the beauty of this tournament. Will have to learn and move on,” the 29-year old added.
After Gill was dismissed, Gujarat were down and out - but luckily the charm of Rashid Khan worked out well for the 2022 edition champions. However, Gill stated that with 42 runs needed off the last three overs, they were confident with their strategy to win the match.
“We were targetting 45 in 3 overs and it is very much gettable and that was the mindset at that time. Mathematically both batters needed to hit 22 off 9 balls and that's how the thinking goes and if one batter goes berserk that will do,” Gill said.
“I would have loved to finish the game, but very happy with Rahul and Rashid bhai for finishing the job for us. Winning the ball off the last ball is always a great feeling. He (Rashid Khan) is someone who you always want in your team, he is such a competitor.”
