NEWS
Follow UsAs soon as Lucknow Super Giants piled up 160 on the board, it was only a matter of when KL Rahul’s side would complete the win. Across their last 15 occasions, they have always defended a total with ease, and the trend continued.
But there was still a bit of scare given that the other team was Gujarat Titans, who were nearly invincible in chasing a target. At 54/0, it seemed like the trend might come to an end but that’s when Yash Thakur removed Shubman Gill.
That triggered a collapse as Krunal Pandya removed both the in-form Sai Sudharsan and BR Sharath to put Gujarat in a spot of bother at 61/4. In his second spell, Thakur ensured that he completed what he started, with a five-wicket haul, only the second five-wicket haul for a Lucknow player.
“We will take the win. Not going to make too much out of it. For the young bowing group we have, helps when we bat first and they can assess the conditions. They have been adapting really well, so credit to them. It is a good record to have,” Rahul said in the post-match presentation after a 33-run win over Gujarat.
Lucknow were helped by the fact that the match was in their own backyard. Rahul stated that ‘home advantage’ obviously helped them, and talked about how it is a tough place to score freely.
“But it is where we have played. We know how the wickets were, very low-scoring wicket and low-scoring ground. Having the home advantage obviously helps a bit. The same guys were playing last season as well, they have adjusted their roles and they are reading the wicket well,” he added.
“We knew very early that it (the pitch) was not as good as the other day. We were not trying to get to a particular score, and were just trying to bat and see how many we would get.”
While Manimaran Siddharth didn’t pick up any wicket, he was at his effective best, conceding just 20 runs in his first three overs, restricting the run flow. In return, it enabled Krunal to come and strike immediately, with a three-wicket haul, ending with figures of 3/11.
“We put up a score and then you expect the bowlers to do their job. All three spinners have been key for us. Sid (Siddharth) has done very well, he bowls a crucial part when he bowls with the new ball. He has shown great temperament and he has given us steady bowling in the first 2-3 overs,” he added.
“He has picked up wickets, but his job is to restrict runs. KP (Krunal Pandya) has played for so many years, and he is smart and knows how to bowl. Have played with Bishnoi also for a lot of years. Feels good to get off the mark (against the Titans).”
