Important to know when and how to use variations, says Mohit Sharma

Mohit Sharma was at his best once again on March 31 (Sunday), finishing with figures of 3/25, including a brilliant burst in the final over where he picked up a couple of wickets and conceded just three runs. He mixed it up well, but the veteran pacer believes it is important to know when to bowl these variations. 

"Practice is normal, but the important thing is how to use the variation according to the game situation," Mohit said during the post-match presentation.

"Bowlers do have variations but it matters when and how to use it. It’s important when you have two balls in mind, the batters are also ready, they are ready for the slower bouncer but they are not ready for the slower short ball wide of the wicket so I mix and match."

Gujarat  Titans (GT) eventually went on to win the game comfortably by seven wickets and skipper Shubman Gill was pleased with the way Mohit delivered once again.

"He's such an experienced player, especially on wickets like these. He comes in, bowls those yorkers and slower balls. In this heat, it's easier to score with the new ball. Our plan was to make them hit the slower ball to the longer side," Gill said.

Losing captain Pat Cummins believes Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) fell 10-15 runs short in the end. "Good game of cricket, was tight in the end, probably we needed 10-15 more runs. I think they bowled well, just losing a couple of wickets, didn’t have that one person who kicked on to get a fifty, that happens," Cummins said. 

"Today it was, we thought the wicket was going to get a bit slow, the off-cutters did grip, we had eight bowling options in our side. I thought the wicket played the same in both innings."

GT next take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) on March 4 (Thursday) in Ahmedabad, while SRH are in action against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 5 (Friday) in Hyderabad.