'For me it's about trying to get the ball off as close to the middle of the bat as possible and trust my bat swing.'
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill was not too pleased with the performance of his team against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday, saying that while the wicket was on the slower side, the strike rotation left a lot to be desired.
LSG, capitalising on half-centuries by Aiden Markram (58) and the brilliant Nicholas Pooran (61) defeated GT by six wickets, overhauling the 181-run target with three balls to spare.
While GT openers Sai Sudharsan (56) and Gill (60) gave their side a solid start with a 120-run partnership, the middle-order could not adapt to the slow nature of the wicket, thus failing to score at a brisk pace.
"The wicket wasn't easy to hit from the get-go and this was the conversation that if there's one batsman set we have to play 17-18 overs so we can get to 200-210," said Gill at the post match presentation ceremony.
"Losing back-to-back wickets didn't help our cause. When we were batting, the ball was stopping; it wasn't an easy wicket from the first ball. Our strike rotation wasn't as good as expected and that's something we have to work on," added the GT skipper, whose side lost its top podium place to Delhi Capitals following the defeat.
Gill acknowledged that the team was trying to remain in the game after the below-par score but said the fighting spirit shown by his players gave him confidence going forward.
"We were behind the game but if we got a few quick wickets, we could take the match deep. We got a few wickets after the 10th over but the ball didn't stop as much as we thought it would.
"Fighting till the end was a good sign for us. That was the conversation in the second timeout, that we'll take it as deep as possible," he added.
In sharp contrast to Gill's assessment of the wicket, LSG's Nicholas Pooran, who continues to lead the scoring charts with 349 runs, including four half-centuries, said the pitch played beautifully.
"It was absolutely a beautiful wicket to bat on. It's not much talk. As a group we know we have depth in our batting line-up. Unfortunately Mitch (Mitchell Marsh) didn't play so Rishabh (Pant) stepped up and played," said Pooran.
"Nice to see Aiden get a start and carry on. I surprise myself sometimes. For me it's about trying to get the ball off as close to the middle of the bat as possible and trust my bat swing. If I tell you everything, they'll figure me out eventually," the West Indian added.
He added that the match-up against GT spinner Sai Kishore was something that really got him going.
"Getting the opportunity to bat at No. 3, you need to make the play sometimes. You need to consolidate sometimes but you have to take your match-ups sometimes. They got Sai (Kishore) on challenging me to hit on the big side but I had to be brave and take on my match-ups. Today was one of the days it came off for me," he said.
LSG skipper Pant was an unexpected opener on the day and the keeper-batter got a bit of confidence by scoring an 18-ball 21.
"Definitely feeling happy... today Marsh not being there gave me an opportunity (to open) and I thought the more time I spend at the wicket it'll help me going forward in the tournament," Pant said.
On Pooran's another dazziling knock, he said: "I think one thing is for sure is that we are happy to have Nicholas Pooran in our team. You want someone like him on your side and not batting against you. The way he is reading the game right now, the way he is batting is phenomenal."
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