SYNOPSIS: In a battle of powerhouses between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals, it came down to who blinks first. On an evening when both camps traded punches, Gujarat were short on answers for the heavy blows that Shimron Hetmyer landed.
Overcoming starting trouble
Chasing 178, at 4/2 with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler dismissed, victory seemed improbable for Rajasthan Royals, especially with the manner in which Mohammed Shami was making the ball talk. And when Devdutt Padikkal – who had counter-attacked a bit – perished in the ninth over with the total reading 47, it got even more uphill for Rajasthan.
At the halfway mark, the required run rate had climbed to 12.50 and Rashid Khan still had three overs left. In the next over, Rajasthan would lose Riyan Parag too and by the end of the 12th over, the asking rate stood at 14 as they needed 112 runs off 48 deliveries.
To make it even more complicated for Sanju Samson, who was batting on 29 of 22 deliveries, and Shimron Hetmyer (3 off 6 balls at that stage), Gujarat were now bringing on wrist spinner Noor Ahmad, touted back in Afghanistan as a left-arm version of Rashid. Another unknown to deal with, it looked as if Gujarat were cornering Rajasthan from all sides.
But out of nowhere, Samson suddenly woke up and with that the contest, as Hetmyer readied himself to apply the finishing touches. Maybe Samson was just waiting for the challenge to get stiffer as he picked Rashid for three successive sixes, the first sign of intent from Rajasthan. In 16 balls, Samson (4×6, 1×4) and Hetmyer (1×6, 1×4) struck 48 runs before Noor dismissed the former and as Dhruv Jurel walked in with 64 needed of five overs, the equation didn’t look as daunting.
From there on, Hetmyer took charge. With Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin playing vital cameos, the left-hander used his power to clobber five sixes and two boundaries as Gujarat were left shell-shocked once again after Rinku Singh floored them a week ago. This was another match which they controlled for vast stretches, only to let it slip from their grasp.
Five bowling options
As far as chaotic starts go, one needn’t look beyond the dismissal of Wriddhiman Saha. After the opener skied a leading edge, all it needed was for Trent Boult, the bowler, to take a few steps and complete a straightforward catch. Instead, Hetmyer ran in from square-leg, Jurel sprinted in from point, and Samson rushed in from behind the stumps as all three went for the catch – it was quite a miracle that none of them ended with an injury after the collision – but none were in control. As the ball bounced off Samson’s gloves, an alert Boult pouched it safely.
That was the only sign of chaos one witnessed from Rajasthan on the evening. For a long period, it appeared as if they had erred in picking the XI, but through the course of the next four hours, the move was vindicated. In a team that seems to have the right sort of balance with the arrival of Jason Holder this season, the only big hole in Rajasthan’s camp is that they are yet to identify a reliable fifth and sixth bowling option. They have tried Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini and KM Asif, but none have been able to play the sort of support role to complement the attack that includes Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ashwin, Adamp Zampa and Holder. And having chosen the leg-spin of Zampa over Holder – Rajasthan had only two seam bowling options in Boult and Sandeep Sharma. And to make it worse, they had only five bowling options as they chose to strengthen their batting while selecting the XI after winning the toss.
Risk pays off
It was too much of a risk to take against a batting unit that has in-form batters. And on an evening when Rajasthan couldn’t afford any of their bowlers to have an off-day, their attack – despite their spinners not having a fruitful outing – didn’t let Gujarat Titans run away with the game. Their spin trio, usually reliable, conceded 105 runs in 12 overs and accounted for only two wickets. But still, keeping Gujarat Titans to 177/7 didn’t seem a bad effort at all on a pitch that was showing no signs of slowing down and the dew factor to bank on while batting.
Gujarat are a team that prefers chasing. They are at ease doing so, thanks to the two cool-headed finishers in David Miller and Rahul Tewatia. Setting up totals is an art they are still pursuing and had Rajasthan been a bit more creative in their planning, and had Zampa held on to the chance offered by Miller when he was on 6, Gujarat may not have ended up with the total they did. With Gill chipping in with a crucial 45 at the top, Sai Sudharsan and Hardik Pandya making scores of 20 and 28 respectively, and the hard-hitting Abhinav Manohar getting a 13-ball 27, Gujarat had a total they could hope to defend.
Get latest updates on IPL 2025 from IPL Points Table to Teams, Schedule, Most Runs and Most Wickets along with live cricket score updates for all matches. Also get Sports news and more cricket updates.
