Gujarat Titans beat Lucknow Super Giants in the first-ever Indian Premier League match for both teams. Mohammed Shami, David Miller, and Rahul Tewatia starred for GT at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, but LSG lost owing to some weird captaincy from KL. Despite being warned not to, Rahul insisted on bowling spinners against two aggressive batsmen, making things more difficult for the slower bowlers.
After electing to bowl, Gujarat Titans had the Lucknow Super Giants by the scruff of their neck, with Mohammed Shami’s three wickets in a three-over session with the new ball. After KL Rahul was removed for a golden duck, Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni both scored half-centuries to bail LSG out of trouble and give their bowlers something to work with.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans lost Shubman Gill and Vijay Shankar early in the innings, but skipper Hardik Pandya steadied the innings after Matthew Wade and Shubman Gill fell in rapid succession. The conditions were subsequently exploited by David Miller and Rahul Tewatia, who took a full toll on the LSG spinners, bringing GT within touching distance of the LSG total.
Gujarat Titans required 11 runs from the last over, and Abhinav Manohar smashed boundaries off the first two balls to help his team out. Fans of the Lucknow Super Giants would have been stunned to learn that their finest bowler, Dushmantha Chameera, only bowled three overs out of his full quota of four.
Gujarat Titans’ pursuit was rattled when Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Shubman Gill in the opening over and bowled Vijay Shankar with a ripper. GT was 15 for in 2.1 overs while chasing 159 before Hardik Pandya came out swinging.
On the other hand, Matthew Wade was looking decent without doing anything spectacular, but it was evident that this combination needed to step up before the likes of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia could tee off further down the order.
Moreover, Gujarat Titans’ pursuit was rattled when Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Shubman Gill in the opening over and bowled Vijay Shankar with a ripper. GT was 15 for in 2.1 overs while chasing 159 before Hardik Pandya came out swinging.
On the other hand, Matthew Wade was looking decent without doing anything spectacular, but it was evident that this combination needed to step up before the likes of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia could tee off further down the order.
While the Gujarat Titans’ run rate surged fast, two dangerous batters – David Miller and Rahul Tewatia – were at the plate. Even as one wondered why LSG captain KL Rahul did not get Dushmantha Chameera to bowl one of his two remaining overs.
The two left-handed hitters eagerly embraced the deliveries from Deepak Hooda and Ravi Bishnoi, who were maintained in the attack. It wasn’t easy for spinners at that point, and Rahul appeared to have delayed too long to bring Chameera on, or perhaps Avesh Khan, who had two overs left by the end of the GT innings’ 17th over.
SHAMI Firey Bowling:
Mohammed Shami, who had a lacklustre performance at the T20 World Cup, bowled a brilliant opening spell for Gujarat Titans against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday. He dismissed the dangerous Quinton de Kock with a beauty of delivery after removing KL Rahul with the opening ball of the game.
Shami also assisted GT in dismissing Manish Pandey, who played away from his body and looked completely lost against a delivery that seemed to come in from the fourth stump.
HARDIK BOWLS: The spark its shows
Hardik Pandya entered the attack after much speculation and bowled with velocity and fire. In his first over, he clocked 139 KMPH and only gave up one run to LSG. Hardik had not bowled in the IPL or international cricket for a long time. He did toss a few overs in the T20 World Cup, but he appeared to be a shadow of his former self.
Many cricket analysts feel Hardik Pandya will be able to restore his position in the Indian team if he resumes bowling. For cricket fans throughout the country, seeing Hardik Pandya run in and bowl with such ferocity was an encouraging sight. Hardik’s numbers were wrecked, though, when he gave up 19 runs in his final over. Hardik finished with a score of 0 for 37 from four overs.
RAHUL’S Shaky captain
KL Rahul’s first few months as captain of the Lucknow Super Giants were a nightmare. On the first ball of the first encounter between LSG and Gujarat Titans, he edged a Mohammed Shami delivery to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. This was Rahul’s first duck in 56 IPL innings.
In 2021, he was the third top run-scorer behind Ruturaj Gaekwad and Faf du Plessis, having won the Orange Cap in 2020. Incredibly, Gaekwad was also dismissed for 0 in Chennai Super Kings’ season-opening loss to Kolkata Knight Riders.
KL Even before the likes of Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan came on to bow, Rahul’s dismissal prompted a top-order collapse for LSG. As a result, he started his Lucknow Super Giants reign on a similarly sour note, losing a match that his team appeared to have won before the Rahul Tewatia-David Miller showdown.
Rahul couldn’t disguise his disappointment. As he plodded back to the dugout, he appeared dejected and downcast.
Published By : Ankit Singh
Edited By : Khushi Thakur
