Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill, right, chats with Gujarat Titans’ Mohammed Siraj (AP Photo/ Manish Swarup) Gujarat Titans’ loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru was not just about their failure to defend a mammoth 205 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The result quickly turned into a debate over management decisions, especially as GT managed to bring the game back to a position where one decisive bowling move could have dragged the chase into a tense finish.For most of the innings, RCB looked comfortable. Virat Kohli’s fluent 81 off 44 balls and Devdutt Padikkal’s brisk 55 off 27 ensured control at the top. However, Gujarat clawed their way back as soon as the batsmen departed. At 173 for 5 in the 16th over, the equation stood at 33 required from 27 balls. With the main shots gone, the competition opened up again.
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“We didn’t play good cricket” – Mahela Jayawardene after MI’s biggest IPL loss vs CSKThe turning point came in the way Shubman Gill managed his bowling resources. Mohammed Siraj bowled three overs for 25 and picked up a wicket, making him the most reliable pacer for GT on the night. Still, his final over was not used at the crucial stage. Instead, Manav Suthar was introduced in the 18th over against Krunal Pandya and the gamble proved costly as 15 runs came out of it. The equation quickly dwindled to just seven needed from two overs, effectively ending the contest.Virender Sehwag, speaking on Cricbuzz, openly disputed the call. “When 22-25 runs were needed in the last three overs and if Mohammed Siraj had come in at that stage and got a wicket, it might have been 20 from 2 overs and who knows what would have happened from there. They could have at least finished the game. The match didn’t even go to the final,” Sehwag said.His criticism went beyond this single. It pointed to a wider hesitancy on GT’s part in trusting their main bowlers after being expensive earlier. Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada all cashed in but Sehwag felt that at a venue like Chinnaswamy, captains still have to rely on their batting options in crunch moments.“I think the captain made a bit of a mistake there. OK, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan got hit for runs, but the captain’s job is to bring them back into the attack. If you think you can’t use a bowler because he conceded 31 runs from two overs, then you’ve lost heart, haven’t you? That means you’ve given up,” he added.Tactical dissonance also played a role. Krunal Pandya, being a left-hander, was able to line up Suthar’s left-arm spin and once it covered the distance, any lingering pressure disappeared. Gill later indicated that GT had noticed some grip on slower deliveries earlier and believed that the spin could provide a breakthrough. However, this plan didn’t work out, especially as Siraj’s control and hard lengths seemed more suited to this stage.Apart from the result, this defeat highlights the recurring concerns for Gujarat Titans. Their execution at the death has been inconsistent this season and the next game faded away despite briefly regaining control. For Gill, who is still developing as a captain in the IPL, the evening highlighted how critical timing and trust in key players can be. The scoreboard showed a leisurely pursuit in the end, but the decisive moment came much earlier.
