NEW DELHI: As Lucknow Super Giants notched up their first-ever win against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, skipper
KL Rahul
credited the bowlers as they successfully defended 163 at home and registered a third straight win.
While pacer
Yash Thakur
(5/30) picked up his maiden IPL fifer, spinners
Krunal Pandya
(3/11),
Ravi Bishnoi
(1/8) and Manimaran Siddharth (0/29) chipped in with crucial contributions to strangle Titans in the chase as Lucknow registered an easy 33-run win
Lauding the all-round bowling effort, Rahul admitted that the home advantage also helped the side in defending the total.
"For the young bowling group we have, it helps when we bat first and they can assess the conditions. They have been adapting really well, so credit to them. Having the home advantage obviously helps a bit. The same guys were playing last season as well, they have adjusted their roles and they are reading the wicket well. That is something I try to speak to them about in the nets and in practice, to help them make the right choices when the pressure is on. Hopefully we can continue," Rahul said in the post-match presentation.
With three wins in a row, Lucknow now sit pretty at the third spot in the points table. The skipper pointed out that spinners have been the key for their side and he expects them to continue in a similar fashion as the tournament progresses.
"We knew very early that it (the pitch) was not as good as the other day. We were not trying to get to a particular score, and were just trying to bat and see how many we would get. We put up a score and then you expect the bowlers to do their job. All three spinners have been key for us. Sid (Siddharth) has done very well, he bowls a crucial part when he bowls with the new ball. He has shown great temperament and he has given us steady bowling in the first 2-3 overs. He has picked up wickets, but his job is to restrict runs. KP (Krunal Pandya) has played for so many years, and he is smart and knows how to bowl. Bishnoi has been around for so many years and keeps getting better," Rahul added.
The win was also LSG's 13th in 13 games in which they have scored 160 or more batting first.
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