Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill said the side did not plan to take the chase to the final ball, but was satisfied to secure two IPL points against table-toppers Punjab Kings. Gill cited a slow wicket and the value of set batters, while Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer felt 163 was defendable.
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-Sathish Raman
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill said the chase against Punjab Kings went deeper than planned. Gujarat still secured two points in the IPL match on Sunday. Punjab Kings entered the game as table-toppers. Gujarat reached 167 for six with one ball remaining. Punjab had earlier made 163 for nine.
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill said the side did not plan to take the chase to the final ball, but was satisfied to secure two IPL points against table-toppers Punjab Kings. Gill cited a slow wicket and the value of set batters, while Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer felt 163 was defendable.
Gill said the surface did not suit a quick chase. “Would have liked to not take it as deep as we did. But two points! We always knew this is not the kind of wicket where we can chase it in 15-16 overs. If someone is set, they should go deep,\” said Gill during the post-match presentation.
IPL match: Shubman Gill explains Gujarat Titans chase plan
Gill also spoke about the ball behaviour and late finish. \”Length balls werent coming. Important for the batter who was set — lucky for us, Washy finished it off. It was all about the kind of situation we are in, and the best batter on sending out left-handers,\” Gill said. Gujarat used left-hand options based on the match situation.
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer said the total felt defendable. \”I personally thought it was a great score. New ball was doing a bit at the start. Their bowlers made best use of the surface, the way they were hitting the deck. We lost four wickets in the powerplay, just to get to 160 from there was a phenomenal effort.\”
IPL match: Shreyas Iyer points to execution issues for Punjab Kings
Iyer said the plan with the new ball did not work as expected. \”With the new ball, I thought we would be able to hit line and length and be accurate and get wickets, but it didnt work out. Kudos to the effort, attitude and approach. We missed on hitting the hard lengths, I think. Hitting over midwicket wasnt easy on this wicket, there was variable bounce,\” he said.
Iyer said Punjab Kings fell short in execution despite staying top of the table. \”In terms of execution, we fell short. Were still top of the table, well take positives from that…. Shows the character of the bowlers, wanted to win, didnt click today.Excited for the opportunity in Hyderabad next. Boys putting in hard yards. If the character is high, attitude is right, results will come eventually,\” he said.
With inputs from PTI
