NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans spinner
R Sai Kishore
commended head coach
Ashish Nehra
for establishing a thriving team culture and stated that new captain
Shubman Gill
did not appear to be leading the squad for the first time.
Sai Kishore, a left-arm spinner, starred with a stunning four-over spell in GT's six-run victory over Mumbai Indians in their IPL opener on Sunday.
"Shubman led the team very well.
It did not look like he was leading for the first time. Even to me as a spinner, the inputs that he gave were fantastic," Kishore said in the post-match press conference.
Batting first, GT posted 168/6 before stopping MI at 162, just as the five-time champions appeared to be on their way to victory.
"We felt we were 10 short, but the thing about this whole team and how it has been run over the last two years is we give a lot of emphasis to competing. Whether we win or lose, we're proud of the way we play. We competed really well. That was the talk given by (head coach) Ashish Nehra as well.
"All credit to the culture he has set up over the last two years. People are not thinking about the result (alone), they're focusing about competing and staying in the game."
Sai Kishore also stated that he was at ease with the batters playing
Rashid Khan
and came after him. He adjusted his tempo and bowled slower through the air.
"Because the wicket was two-paced, we tried to go into the wicket a lot more, trust our length a lot more than directly going for yorkers.
"That resulted in getting a lot of wickets. It was attacking bowling even if the situation was otherwise.
"In the other teams where I play I usually do the lead role. To do the second role makes it even more exciting.
"Most people are going to play off Rashid and come after me. That makes the challenge more exciting," Sai Kishore said.
Sai Kishore believed the dew would have a significant impact in determining the outcome.
"I was actually expecting dew to play a major role. The ball was wet, but for some strange reason, the ball was still holding on the wicket.
"Usually it slides on, but I was surprised by the amount of purchase I was getting."
(With inputs from PTI)
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