NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans all-rounder Vijay Shankar credited Hardik Pandya‘s management as one of many greatest causes for defending champions’ consistency within the present IPL season similar to final time round.
GT are as soon as once more on prime of IPL factors desk with six wins from eight video games after beating KKR by seven wickets on the day.
“Hardik is really aggressive. He wants a find a way to come out good in difficult situations. He always wants to do it for the team. He takes the new ball. He has delivered it when we needed the wicket of Rohit Sharma against Mumbai Indians,” Vijay cited examples of his skipper’s game-changing efforts.
“He (Hardik) got a 66 on a difficult wicket against LSG. He is taking up a lot responsibility. That’s the best thing to do. When you are captain you have to show the team that this is how it is done. That is why all the other players are really trusting him and doing whatever the team asks us to do.”
GT have been profitable in sealing shut video games and Vijay credited it to their powerful coaching regime.
“The amount of practice we do as a team is unbelievable, every individual in our team practices so hard. We do it harsh and harsh.
IPL 2023: Shankar, Miller power Gujarat to top of table
“We discover methods to come back out good in tough conditions. There will likely be tough conditions be in IPL or any T20 match. It’s about speaking nicely.”
Vijay has had some impressive performances in this edition but he doesn’t want to talk about his India comeback, having last donned natina colours back in 2019 World Cup in England.
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IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans record easy win over KKR, inch closer to playoffs
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<p>Defending champions Gujarat Titans once again came up with a clinical display to prevail over Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets and climb to the top of the table in the IPL on Saturday. It was sweet revenge for Titans, who lost their home game due to Rinku Singh’s heroics.<br /><br /></p>
<p>First it was, the Titans pace duo of Mohammad Shami (3/33) and Josh Little (2/25) picked five wickets between them, while left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad (2/21) continued his fine run to restrict KKR to a below-par 179/7 after Hardik Pandya opted to bowl.<br /><br /></p>
<p>On a batting-friendly strip, Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s scintillating 39-ball 81 set the tempo, but KKR managed just 45 runs and lost three wickets in the final five overs to miss the psychological 200-run mark.<br /><br /></p>
<p>In reply, GT raced to the target in 17.5 overs with Vijay Shankar remaining unbeaten on 51 off 24 balls (2×4, 5×6).<br /><br /></p>
<p>Defending the total, KKR had their moments when they dismissed a flawless Shubman Gill one run shy of fifty and almost had David Miller on 26.<br /><br /></p>
<p>But they made a harakiri of sorts as Miller’s skier, which would have been a straightforward catch by their wicketkeeper, was attempted by Suyash Sharma from third man and he ended up grassing it.<br /><br /></p>
<p>GT at that time still needed 51 runs from 29 balls but it turned out to be a game-changing moment as Shankar and Miller (32 not out; 18b, 2×4, 2×6) sealed the issue in an unbroken 87-run unbroken partnership that came off 39 balls.<br /><br /></p>
<p>The win took GT to top spot in the table with 12 points from eight matches as they need to win two more matches to seal the playoff berth for a second time on the trot.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>KKR on the other hand are staring at early elimination after enduring their sixth defeat from nine matches as they now must win all their remaining five matches.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Gill (49; 35b) gave GT a perfect start after losing Wriddhiman Saha (10) early as he along with skipper Hardik Pandya laid the foundation in a 50-run partnership.<br /></p>
“It’s too far for me. Mentally I’m actually not fascinated with that. If I can win matches for my workforce that is the one satisfaction I can take from each sport.
“I’ll be really happy to contribute to my team’s wins. Cricket is something we love, that’s why we still continue playing. No expectations, I just wanted to enjoy my cricket,” he signed off.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
