In final December’s IPL public sale, Punjab Kings purchased Shashank Singh below complicated circumstances. There have been two Shashanks within the pool and for a fleeting second, PBKS thought it had purchased the flawed participant, tried to take again the bid earlier than accepting him as one in every of its personal.
On Thursday on the Narendra Modi Stadium, the 32-year-old Chhattisgarh batter confirmed why it was a prudent determination. He scored a swashbuckling unbeaten 61 (29b, 6×4, 4×6) as PBKS chased down a 200-run goal in opposition to Gujarat Titans with three wickets and a ball to spare.
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Shashank was helped in no small measure by Impact Player Ashutosh Sharma (31, 17b, 3×4, 1×6) and Jitesh Sharma (16, 8b, 2×6). GT didn’t help itself as Umesh Yadav dropped Ashutosh at deep square-leg when he was on three.
Shashank, who got here in at 70 for 4, began by smashing Umesh for 2 fours and a six within the eleventh over, earlier than scooping Mohit Sharma over the ’keeper and lofting him over mid-off.
It was, the truth is, Mohit who saved GT within the hunt, conceding seven runs within the fifteenth over and 6 within the seventeenth.
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Frenetic in last 5
But with 62 wanted from 30, Jitesh carted Rashid Khan for 2 maximums over long-on and long-off; within the 18th over, Ashutosh hit Azmatullah Omarzai for 3 fours.
Eventually Mohit, too, wilted below stress, conceding 18 within the penultimate over. Seven runs have been too little for Darshan Nalkande to defend.
Earlier, after being requested to bat, Shubman Gill was at his chic finest (89 n.o., 48b, 6×4, 4×6), and was assisted by B. Sai Sudharsan (33, 19b, 6×4) and Rahul Tewatia (23 n.o., 8b, 3×4, 1×6).
Slow strategy
GT was initially hampered by sluggish approaches from Wriddhiman Saha (11, 13b) and Kane Williamson (26, 22b, 4×4), who changed the injured David Miller.
But Sai Sudharsan produced a breezy knock, peppering the complete arc on the leg-side with fours.
When the left-hander fell at 122 within the 14th over, GT was on the ascendency.
Vijay Shankar sucked out a few of the momentum (8, 10b) however Gill mixed with Tewatia for a manic 35-run partnership off simply 14 deliveries.
The duo had seemingly knocked PBKS out, just for the away aspect to rise from the lifeless.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com