Batting first, SRH lost both their openers cheaply. Mayank Agarwal (16) mistimed a pull off Azmatullah Omarzai. Noor Ahmad then cleaned up the dangerous Travis Head for 19. Abhishek Sharma looked good for his 29 before chipping a catch to extra cover off Mohit’s bowling. Heinrich Klaasen (24 off 13) also got a start, but was knocked over by the guile of Rashid Khan.
Aiden Markram (17) was the next to go, playing an aerial on-drive off Umesh Yadav’s bowling. Abdul Samad (29 off 14) and Shahbaz Ahmed (22 off 20) made handy contributions to guide SRH past the 160-run mark. While Mohit starred with three scalps, four bowlers picked up one scalp each.
In the chase, Gujarat Titans got home courtesy of good contributions from a number of batters. Wriddhiman Saha made 25 off 13, but chipped a simple catch off Shahbaz Ahmed’s bowling. Skipper Shubman Gill contributed 36 off 28. He holed out to long-on, trying to take on Mayank Markande.
Sai Sudharsan (45 off 36) and David Miller (44 not out off 27) featured in a 64-run stand for the third wicket as Gujarat Titans cruised towards the victory target. Sudharsan struck four fours and a six before perishing to Pat Cummins. Miller, who hit four fours and two sixes, guided Gujarat Titans home in the company of Vijay Shankar (14 not out 11).
“Bowlers do have variations but it matters when and how to use it. It’s important when you have two balls in mind, the batters are also ready, they are ready for the slower bouncer but they are not ready for the slower short ball wide of the wicket so I mix and match. Dew is uncontrollable and we practice bowling with a wet ball. When it’s going good, I enjoy. When the match gets over, I like to reflect where I did well and where I didn’t,” Mohit said after being named Player of the Match.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
