Shubman Gill (Pic credit: IPL) NEW DELHI: Captain Shubman Gill summed it up best after Gujarat Titans’ clinical chase – sometimes momentum just finds you. And it certainly did on Thursday night in Ahmedabad.Leading from the front, Gill played a decisive hand in Gujarat Titans’ four-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru and later admitted that an early bit of luck set the tone for his decisive knock.
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Prasidh Krishna on GT’s bowling performance“It’s very satisfying. On a wicket like that, to restrict a team like them to 155 is very nice,” Gill, who scored 43 off just 18 balls, said after the win. “The first ball I was a bit lucky and then I thought today was my day. I was in the zone and I was confident I was going to bowl.”Gill sets the tone after an early reprieveThat ‘lucky’ moment came early against Bhuvneshwar Kumar when an inside edge went for a four, but Gill left it in style. He shifted gears quickly, putting RCB under pressure with an aggressive approach in the powerplay.“The energy was pretty high after the second run. I just felt like I was in the zone,” he added, reflecting on his mindset during the chase.Gill’s attacking intent combined with brisk contributions from Jose Buttler and late composure from Rahul Tewatia ensured GT stayed ahead despite a brief wobble in the middle order.“Tewatia is a very important player for us. That was one of the conversations we had in the time-out. He had some nice runs and everybody got a shot in the middle,” Gill noted.Patidar admits Gill’s impactOn the other hand, RCB captain Rajat Patidar acknowledged that Gill’s power attack proved decisive.“Obviously the score on this track was not good enough,” admitted Patidar. “But the way Shubman played, especially on the power play, he put us under pressure and took the game away.Despite posting just 155, RCB managed to drag the contest deeper than expected, which Patidar saw as positive.“I think the way we bowled and stretched it to 15-16 overs is a positive sign. There was good grass which helped the fast bowlers,” he said.A lesson for RCB as GT surges forwardPatidar also pointed out key areas for improvement. “We conceded a lot of wickets in the middle and that kept us on the back foot,” he said.Earlier, the GT bowlers laid the foundation by bundling RCB out for 155, with disciplined spells backed by sharp spells.In the end, however, the night belonged to Gill – a mixture of luck, timing and authority. As he said himself, once that early moment passed, everything else just followed.
