NEW DELHI: Delivering a comprehensive performance, Gujarat Titans secured a decisive seven-wicket victory over the formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday.
Experienced seamer
Mohit Sharma
showcased his skill in the final over, claiming impressive figures of 3/25, while Afghan spin duo Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad dominated the middle overs, restricting the aggressive SRH to a modest total of 162/8 after Pat Cummins chose to bat first.
SRH might be feeling disappointed with themselves, having posted an impressive 277 for five in their previous match.
South African batsman
David Miller
exhibited his prowess with an unbeaten 44 runs from 27 balls, steering the Titans through a small chase despite battling cramps. He sealed the victory with a six off Jaydev Unadkat's first ball in the final over.
Sai Sudharsan
also lifted his game, top-scoring for GT with his 45 from 36 balls as GT won with five balls to spare.
GT now have won both their matches at home. Their only loss came against Chennai Super Kings in an away match.
SRH have suffered two losses and with one win they have two points from three matches.
GT had things under control in pursuit of the small target at their home venue and Wriddhiman Saha did his job to set the tone. He stepped out to Bhvneshwar Kumar for a boundary, and then pulled Jaydev Unadkat over square leg.
But Saha could not convert his start and mistimed Shahbaz Ahmed to be dismissed for 25.
From going at nine runs per over, GT suddenly struggled to pace the innings with Sai Sudharsan typically slow at one end.
Gill was looking fluent at the other end but Sudharsan was unable to rotate the strike and ate up a lot of deliveries, putting pressure on his skipper.
Gill eventually threw his wicket away, holing out to Abdul Samad at long on in a soft dimissal.
With Miller also struggling to get going, the Cummins-led side fancied their chances at the halfway mark where GT were 78/2, needing 85 from the back-10.
With 18 from 20 balls, the Tamil Nadu youngster Sudharsan once again found himself at the receiving end as he broke free against Unadkat in the 12th over, hitting the leftarm pacer for a boundary.
Miller too soon get into the act and the small target didn't help the cause for SRH.
Fresh from smashing a record 277 in their last game, SRH were going great guns with 56/1 inside the power-play but the young and experienced Afghan duo of Noor (1/32) and Rashid (1/33) turned the match on its head in the crucial 7-15th over phase.
Noor dismissed the in-form SRH opener Travis Head (19), while Rashid sent back explosive Heinrich Klaasen (24) before taking a splendid forward-diving catch at long-on to see the back of Aiden Markram (17).
Having dismissed the in-form Abhishek Sharma in the 10th over, Mohit returned to shine at the death by taking two in two balls in the final over -- Shahbaz Ahmed (22) and Washington Sundar (0).
The 35-year-old cleverly varied his pace, bowled wide yorker, slow off-cutters to stifle SRH in the final over that saw three runs for three wickets, including the run out of Abdul Samad (29).
The 2014 Purple Cap winner and 2015 World Cup semi-finalist, Mohit who returned from the oblivion at GT two seasons ago conceded just one boundary -- a six -- in his four overs.
In the last five overs, SRH managed just 40 runs and lost five wickets.
After plundering runs at an astonishing pace in their last game, the Orange Army had little hesitation in opting to bat first and dictate the pace of the game with Head up front.
The Aussie left-hander kept charging in, while Mayank Agarwal (16) once again looked out of sorts before being dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai.
Last match hero Abhishek smashed Rashid for two sixes on both the sides and it revived memories of his last match partnership with Head.
But left-arm wrist spinner Noor bowled a superb first over to peg SRH back.
The in-form destrcutive SRH opener Head unleashed a slog sweep as the 19-year-old Afghan spinner tricked him with a wrong one. The ball pitched on his off-stump before sharply turning in to crash into the middle-stump.
Runs suddenly dried up with Rashid conceding just four runs from his second over as both the wrist spinners bowled superbly in tandem to squeeze SRH in.
A captaincy masterstroke by Gill to bowl Mohit the 10th over resulted in another wicket when the veteran seamer dismissed a well-set Abhishek (29).
The left-hander sliced it straight to Gill at extra-cover in what seemed a perfect set-up for the young Indian batter.
But Klaasen ensured that the lull does not stay longer as he charged the young Noor in his last over for two slog sweeps over midwicket boundary.
Rashid however had the last laugh as he cut short the innings of SRH six-hitting machine Klaasen in the 14th over.
The South African completely missed Rashid's googly to be cleaned up against the run of play.
In the next over, Rashid made all the difference with his splendid diving catch at deep to dismiss Aiden Markram (17).
Markram took charge of a Yadav slower delivery as Rashid at long on ran forward, adjusted at the last moment to take a stunning diving catch tumbling forward.
(With inputs from PTI)
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