785Gujarat Titans prevailed in a thriller to beat Mumbai Indians by six runs despite a solid, third wicket partnership between Rohit Sharma and Dewald Bravid. Responding to GT’s 168/6, MI were restricted to 162/9 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the second match of the day today, Sunday.
Late rally by the Titans
GT bowled their way back into the match in the last four overs after Rohit Sharma and Dewald Bravis departed in quick succession after the 77-run stand for the third wicket.
Mohit Sharma and Spenser Jonhon pulled it back for GT with twin strikes, triggering the collapse before Umesh Yadav sealed the game in favour of the home team by dismissing Hardik Pandya (11, 4 balls) and Piyush Chawla (0) in the last over.
Rohit-Bravis effort in vain
Rohit dominated the attack in his typical hitman style, posting 43 off 27 deliveries with seven fours and a flick over the ropes off India discard Umesh. The two deliveries after reaching his flawless 43 had him in trouble. He was dropped on the follow through by Mohit Sharma, and then trapped lbw by Sai Kishore off the next ball he faced.
Bravis met Rohit in aggression to post 46 off 38 balls with two four and three sixes. He fell to Mohit Sharma, who fumbled but just managed to take the second return catch after he had given reprieve to Rohit.
Early strikes by Azmatullah Omarzai
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai dealt early blows to MI. He dismissed Ishan Kishan off the first ball of the innings and then accounted for MI impact player Naman Dhir, who had slammed him for three fours and a six in five legitimate deliveries before being struck on the pads right in front.
Earlier, put in to bat GT scored 168 for six as MI kept striking at regular intervals in the middle overs with Jasprit Bumrah providing crucial breakthroughs in each of his three spells. B Sai Sudarshan kept GT in the game. He was engaged in two crucial partnerships, adding 33 with skipper Shubman Gill (31, 22 balls) for the second wicket and 40 for the third with Omarzai (17, 11 balls).
Bumrah’s brilliant return to IPL
Bumrah had missed the IPL 2023 with a back injury, which kept him out of action for a major part of last year. He celebrated return to the tournament with the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha, who found the stumps lit behind him by a trademark Bumrah yorker. He contributed 19 with four boundaries to the 31-run opening stand with new GT skipper Gill.
Pandya could have used Bumrah’s might more effectively. Surprisingly, he didn’t open the attack with the Team Indian pace spearhead, and then withdrew him from the attack after his fruitful 12th over.
GT vs MI highlights, IPL 2024: GT pull off a heist in a rollercoaster game in Ahmedabad
The MI veteran and a local Ahmedabad lad, Bumrah made the most of the home conditions against the home team. He signed off with 3/14 from four overs, also accounting for valuable scalps of B Sai Sudarshan and David Miller. In his first three overs, Bumrah bowled 14 dot balls, conceding just 8 runs for the three wickets.
Impactful innings by Sai Sudarshan
Young Sai Sudarshan played a matured, impactful innings to guide GT to a competitive total despite no other big knock in the middle order – Omarzai (17, 11 balls) and Miller (12, 11 balls) did not last long. He batted for 39 balls for his 45, which came with three fours and one six.
Gerald Coetzee adds to MI’s bowling might
Gerald Coetzee’s availability for the season opener came as a big boost for MI. The South African all-rounder was feared to miss a couple of games due to groin injury. He was the last bowler to be introduced by Pandya, in the 11th over. IPL debutant Coetzee dismissed Omarzai, who was building a threatening partnership with Sudarshan.
Coetzee also accounted for a dangerous looking Rahul Tewatia to sign off with 4-0-27-2.
Rahul Tewatia’s late charge
But for the late charge by Tewatia (22 off 15 balls), GT could have struggled to move past the 150-run mark after Bumrah and Coetzee had tied down the hosts in the middle overs. He went after Mark Wood, slamming the England bowlers for a maximum and two boundaries in a span of four deliveries. Except for Tewatia’s knock, GT batted at a steady pace and didn’t change gears all through their innings.
Pandya far from his best in bowling
Pandya the bowler should augur well for MI, and also for India, in the long run. But, he might take some time to get back to his best. He went wicketless in his three overs, worth 30 runs for GT.
He could have been more judicious by not opening the attack, considering Bumrah was at his disposal. He allowed GT openers to make a desired start with Saha and Gill slamming a boundary each on the onset. The temptation to bowl and re-establish his all-round credentials only helped the home team’s cause.
For once, Pandya will not be a happy man with the Titans' success.
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