Hardik Pandya’s absence was actually not felt by Gujarat Titans on April 17. Their captain missing a crucial match against Chennai Super Kings due to a stiff groin, as their stand-in captain Rashid Khan said at the toss, did not reflect in Titans' thrilling three-wicket win in Pune on Sunday night.
For, the vastly experienced South African limited-overs specialist, David Miller, single-handedly took Titans to victory and helped his team retain their position atop the points table with five wins from six matches and 10 points. Miller, batting at No. 5, remained unbeaten on 94 off just 51 balls with eight fours and half-a-dozen sixes as Titans surpassed CSK’s competitive 169 for four to win with one ball to spare.
Aptly, Miller scored the winning runs off Chris Jordan, a straight hit off a full toss for two. Just prior to that, when the match was in CSK’s hands until the 17th over of Titans’ run-chase, Rashid scored 25 runs off Chris Jordan’s penultimate over, the 18th of the innings to bring down the equation from 48 off 18 balls to a much comfortable 23 off 12 deliveries.
Miller was on strike when 13 were needed off the last over, and Jordan’s bad evening continued with the South African in a destructive mood.
That said, CSK bowled brilliantly at the start with their off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana picking up two wickets in his first two overs and left-arm pacer removing Shubman Gill in the very first over. Titans were 37 for three at the end of Power Play and were 58 for four at the half-way stage.
But, with Miller in the middle, Titans were well on course. Miller was unperturbed with wickets falling at the other end as he dealt in fours and sixes with ease. The 70-run partnership for the sixth wicket in 37 balls between Miller and Rashid (40, 21 balls, 2x4, 3x6) took the game away from CSK’s hands.
Earlier, it was a struggle for CSK openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Robin Uthappa as they dealt in only singles in the first two overs as Md Shami and Yash Dayal bowled stump-to-stump line. While Shami was his impressive self, the Uttar Pradesh left-arm medium-pacer playing in his second IPL match had six dot balls in his first two overs.
The pressure of runs not coming easily got into Uthappa, one of the chief architects in CSK’s first win of the season five evenings ago, who attempted to swing Shami in the third over and was trapped leg before with the ball hitting the back leg, DRS taken by Titans confirming all three reds after Ulhas Gandhe thought otherwise.
West Indies’ paceman Alzarri Joseph, playing his first match for Titans, gave his team the second breakthrough by removing Moeen Ali, the English left-hander dragging on to his stumps from outside the off. Ruturaj Gaikwad, woefully searching for runs this season after a glorious run last season, put some runs on the board with a couple of sixes towards long-leg to help CSK reach 39 for two in Power Play.
Gaikwad returned to form after poor starts with scores of 0, 1, 1, 16, 17 prior to Sunday’s match. The pull to mid-wicket for four off Lockie Ferguson in the seventh over gave ample evidence that the talented Maharashtra batsman was back amongst runs. The 25-year-old local scored his first half-century for CSK in seven innings after his 70 in Qualifier 1 against Delhi Capitals. He put behind all his poor run on his home ground and played attractive shots, finding it more comfortable against the Titans quicks Alzarri Joseph and Dayal. Gaikwad shared 92 in 56 balls with veteran Ambati Rayudu (46, 31b, 4x4, 2x6) before the latter chased a wide Joseph delivery to give Vijay Shankar at deep extra cover a simple catch.
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