 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The trend of home dominance continues in the IPL!
Gujarat Titans, capitalising on the familiar conditions in Ahmedabad, secured a convincing seven wicket victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Titans bowlers orchestrated their success, restricting a dangerous SRH batting line-up to a manageable 162.
Veteran pacer Mohit Sharma emerged as the bowling hero, claiming a crucial three wicket haul. His crafty bowling stifled the SRH batters and put pressure on the scoreboard. The Afghan spin twins, Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan, also played a vital role.
With a solid bowling foundation laid, the Titans batsmen chased down the target comfortably.
Who bowled the best spells in the Gujarat Titans-Punjab Kings game in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 31, 2024?
Mohit Sharma
Mohit turned into a death overs magician for the Titans, bamboozling the Sunrisers batters with his deceptive bowling.
Mohit struck an important blow early on, dismissing the dangerous Abhishek Sharma (29) in the 10th over. A cunning change-up delivery from the wily seamer halted SRH's momentum just as they were building a decent platform (58/1 at the Powerplay's end).
Brought back for the crucial death overs, Mohit displayed his experience and control. He cleverly varied his pace, mixing in wide yorkers and slow off-cutters to tie down the batsmen. This mastery culminated in a dream final over, where he snagged two crucial wickets in two balls -- Shahbaz Ahmed (22) and Washington Sundar (0).
Mohit's bowling accuracy was exceptional throughout his four overs. He conceded only a solitary six, finishing with impressive figures of 3/25. This frugal spell ensured that SRH could only manage a paltry 40 runs and lose five wickets in their final five overs.
Noor Ahmad
Noor justified his inclusion straightaway, deceiving the dangerous Travis Head with a well-disguised googly in his very first over. This early dismissal, right after the Powerplay, prevented Head from inflicting serious damage.
Noor's control over his googly was exceptional on this dry wicket. He bowled a staggering 13 googlies and conceded 32 runs, showcasing his effectiveness. While his final figures (1/32) were inflated by some late hitting, his spell (4 overs) provided the Titans with a crucial foothold in the match.
Rashid Khan
Noor's impressive display seemed to rub off on his more experienced Afghan spin team-mate, Rashid Khan. The leg-spinner started confidently, displaying his experience and skill in the middle overs, stifling the Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen and contributing to a crucial wicket.
After a watchful start, Heinrich Klaasen began to pose a threat. However, Rashid, returning for his second spell, cleverly deceived him with a skiddy legbreak that rattled his stumps in the 14th over. This dismissal effectively neutralised a dangerous batter.
Together, the Afghans created a web of spin that kept the SRH batsmen in check during the crucial middle overs.
Despite conceding a few boundaries, Rashid finished with 1 for 33, showcasing his control and ability to restrict scoring opportunities.
Pat Cummins
The SRH Captain took matters into hand in the 11th over, throwing a spanner in the works for the chasing Titans. His tight bowling yielded just five runs, stemming the flow of boundaries and putting the pressure on the batters.
With boundaries drying up, Sai Sudharsan displayed some muchn eeded aggression. However, his valiant effort was short-lived.
In the 17th over, Cummins found his revenge. Sudharsan attempted a pull shot, but found Abhishek Sharma perfectly positioned at deep midwicket. Abhishek's diving effort secured the catch, sending Sudharsan back to the pavilion despite his attempt to swing clear.
Cummins continued his shrewd bowling in the 19th over, restricting the scoring to just six runs. The Titans, needing just one run for victory, Cummins single-handedly forced the match into the final over.
GT Vs SRH: Who Bowled The Best Spell?