Rashid and Miller Partnership Takes GT to Victory Against CSK 

 On Sunday night, the defending champions Chennai Super Kings clashed against the newly founded Gujarat Titans. With both sides vying for a win in their sixth match, the contest was close and came down to only one ball remaining in the very last over.

In the end, the lions of Gujarat triumphed against the yellow team, continuing its dominance in their very first season of IPL.

It was skipper Rashid Khan, in place of Hardik Pandya, who led the Titans to a three-wicket win.   

Return to Form 

Ravindra Jadeja’s men went to bat first on a pitch that looked to suit batsmen more. Gujarat struck early in the powerplay as Shami dismissed the dangerous Uthappa, who was looking to dominate from the beginning but could not time the ball well.

Moeen Ali soon followed him to the bench as well after hitting the ball onto the stumps.

However, last year’s Orange Cap winner Ruturaj Gaikwad and experienced campaigner Rayudu kept hopes alive with a partnership of 92 runs off just 56 balls.

The young right-handed batsman returned to scoring ways with a half century, after a poor run of performance in the first five matches of this season.

Rayudu, on the other side, proved a crucial partner with a contribution of 46 runs in just 31 balls.  

At one point, it seemed as if CSK could easily reach 180. But the Titans’ bowlers came back strong and quickly dismissed both the set batsmen.

Gaikwad and Rayudu fell successively with ill placed shots to fielders in the deep. With the arrival of Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja on the crease.

The bowlers maintained the pressure by perfectly executing their line and length against the new left-handed pair.

The progress stalled at an alarming rate and despite efforts by both the batsmen, it seemed too difficult to find timing on the ball.

The struggle pulled through in the end as captain Jadeja provided the finishing touch in the very last over, scoring a few yet significant boundaries. 

The Battle of the Lions 

With 169 runs on the board, the task ahead was to restrict the Titans by taking early wickets and pressurizing the middle order.

CSK bowlers executed the strategy with perfection as they cut through the top order in the powerplay. Shubman Gill, who has been in brilliant form, had to return to the dressing room early with a golden duck.

Vijay Shankar quickly followed him after Mahesh Theekshana continued his off-spin charm to dismiss him.

Wriddhiman Saha and Abhinav Manohar attempted to create a partnership like Rashid and Miller Partnership but could not score more than a dozen and quickly fell as well.

It seemed that despite their poor start in the season, Jadeja’s bowlers had finally found their rhythm and picked up wickets when needed.  

With five wickets down, there was no Hardik Pandya either to save the day.

The fresh-face captain of the newly registered franchise had been rested due to an injury, thus allowing Rashid Khan to take over the reins.

The responsibility now fell to him as he entered the crease with David Miller, who had been in such situations many times before.

Miller, who was bought for only 3 crores, carried a strong resistance through the middle overs even as the required run rate climbed over 10 per over.

Without any initial assistance from the other end, Miller troubled CSK bowlers throughout the innings.

Slowly but surely, the left-handed finisher from South Africa amassed 94 runs from just 51 balls.

Despite a slow start, skipper Rashid Khan provided the crucial blow from the other end by hitting Chris Jordan for 25 runs in the 18^th over.  

The England bowler was given another chance to redeem himself when Jadeja shouldered the responsibility of the final over to him.

From needing 48 runs in the last 3 overs, the Titans were now looking hungrily at 13 runs from 6 deliveries.

The task seemed mightily easy for the classy Miller as he finished the game with only one ball remaining.

CSK will look to come back hard in the next game after a disastrous start to their season. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans sit comfortably at the top of the table with 5 wins out of 6 matches.

In a strange but radical change, the two new teams dominate this season while the most decorated teams with a rich past languish at the bottom resulting Rashid and Miller Partnership

Edited by – Vanshika Sahu

Published by – Mohd Faizan