Shubman Gill played another sensible knock to help Gujarat Titans register a fine win over Punjab Kings on Thursday at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali. Gill scored a crucial 67-run inning to set up the foundation of the victory but it was Rahul Tewatia who got the job done with a boundary on the fifth ball of the final over which sealed the win over the defending champions.
It was not a typical T20 knock from Gill as he took 49 balls to score 67 runs but the required run rate was not very high at any moment which allowed him to play risk-free cricket.
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Shubman suggested that it was not easy to hit boundaries at the business end of the game as the wickets got difficult to bat.
“The wicket got tougher towards the end. It was difficult to score boundaries at will. It was important for us to run hard and get those boundaries," Shubman said after the match.
The talented opener admitted that it should have been him who had to finish the game but asserted that Tewatia has some special connection with Punjab Kings.
“I feel I should have finished the match but I feel Rahul Tewatia and Punjab Kings is a love story," he added.
Talking about chasing the target, Gill said it was important to rotate the strike and avoid dot balls.
“In these types of games, there is definitely pressure on both teams. But it’s important to keep getting those singles and not have dot balls," he said.
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The 23-year-old said that the plan was to attack the new ball to score quick runs in the initial overs as they analysed it won’t be easy to score quick runs against the old ball.
“Just after their innings got over, we knew that it would be easier to score runs with the hard ball. It got slower with the old ball. So we needed to get off to a good start in the powerplay," he added.
“We lost a bit of momentum when Hardik bhai got out. It wasn’t a big score but it was important to rotate the strike and not have dot balls. It’s amazing," Gill stated further.
The GT opener also talked highly of Mohit Sharma for his impressive debut for the franchise as the comeback man claimed a couple of wickets and was named Player of the Match.
“He [Mohit Sharma] was looking good in the nets, especially with the old ball. He has got a good yorker and he is very accurate. I think it was a great Gujarat Titans debut for him," he concluded.
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