Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Sai Sudharsan’s innings for Gujarat Titans in the absence of skipper Shubman Gill, saying the way Sudharsan began his knock showed he has a clear understanding of his strengths.
Sudharsan produced a batting masterclass, scoring 73 off just 44 balls, but it wasn’t enough as the Titans lost wickets at crucial stages and suffered a heartbreaking defeat in their first home game of the season at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday evening.
“Sai Sudharsan knew that Shubman wasn’t playing today, so he had to do the heavy lifting himself. The way he started showed that he understands his strengths. He used pace well, guiding the ball towards third man, and then played some good cover drives on the front
foot. He took on Jadeja immediately after he came into the attack, made use of the pace, and followed it up with a slog sweep,” Ashwin was quoted as saying on JioStar.
Gill missed GT’s game against RR due to a muscle spasm, with Rashid Khan leading the side in his absence. Ashwin believes that once Gill returns, his opening partnership with Sudharsan will be crucial for GT going forward.
Sai Sudharsan-Shubman Gill Opening Combination For Gujarat Titans
“These are the strong areas for Sudharsan, which he relies on, and he got the results. He needs to play like this, carry the innings, but at a good tempo. And for the Gujarat Titans, missing Shubman Gill was a big setback. So obviously, when Shubman returns, this opening combination will be key for them going forward, yet again,” he added.
With their thrilling win over GT, RR registered their second straight victory. Having comfortably beaten Chennai Super Kings in their opener, the Royals now top the standings with four points and a Net Run Rate of +2.233 – the best among all teams so far.
Defending 210, Rajasthan came under pressure in the closing stages of Gujarat’s chase as stand-in skipper Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada threatened to pull off a stunning finish. With the match heading into the final two overs, captain Riyan Parag said the plan was to attack the stumps with pace and prevent the batters from freeing their arms.
He revealed he had initially considered changing the bowling order at the death but eventually stuck with Archer for the penultimate over after a timely suggestion from Dhruv Jurel, and entrusted the final over to Tushar Deshpande, who successfully defended 10 runs to secure a second consecutive victory.
(With inputs from Agencies)
