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Loved the freeness of it: Gill on partnership with Sudharsan
Follow UsThe Titans openers notched up 210 runs for the first wicket, which is the joint highest opening partnership in IPL history
Gujarat Titans (GT) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 35 runs in a do-or-die game to keep themselves in the tournament. Batting first after losing the toss, the Gujarat openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan batted extremely well and almost batted CSK out of the game single-handedly.
They accumulated 210 runs in just 17.2 overs and gave GT the platform to erect a tall total of 231 on the board in a must-win game. Both batters completed their centuries in the process, which is only the second such occurrence in the IPL.
In return, CSK batters got off to a poor start, losing their first three wickets for just 10 runs, which affected their chase massively. In the end, despite a valiant 109-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali, they fell short by 35 runs.
“I loved the freeness of it,” Gill remarked on his partnership with Sudharsan.
“When we were batting out there, we had no targets in mind. [We] were maximising the opportunities in front of us. We have a good camaraderie between us. Even last year, we batted a lot together. Lots of fun batting with him.”
However, Gill was a bit iffy about the fact that GT couldn’t reach 250 after setting the base for it.
“At one point, we thought 250 was there for the taking. In the last 2-3 overs, they also bowled well. Just had a feeling we were 10-15 short - not in terms of the match but the NRR going forward.”
Meanwhile, his teammate Rashid Khan also praised GT’s record-breaking opening partnership.
“They (Gill and Sudharsan) were amazing. We love to see them bat. I really enjoyed the way they played. Two of the best innings we’ve watched.”
Along with Mohit Sharma, who picked 31 for 3, Rashid was also crucial with the ball as he picked up the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and Mitch Santner.
“Mohit bhai has done this for us the last couple of years. Even last year, his bowling was a revelation. Even this year, two three bad games can happen to anyone,” GT skipper Gill said.
With 10 points after five wins in 12 games, the win today has ensured that GT are mathematically still in the race for the playoffs.
