Gill, Ferguson are Gujarat’s titans in win against Delhi
Shubman Gill’s sublime 84 and a searing fourwicket haul from Lockie Ferguson meant Gujarat Titans beat Delhi Capitals by 14 runs in Pune on Saturday.
Chasing 172 to win, Capitals’ chase got off to a promising start with Prithvi Shaw punching Mohammed Shami past backward point for four. But the momentum wasn’t sustained as Capitals lost their top three inside the powerplay overs.
Titans skipper Hardik Pandya set the mood early, taking the new ball with Shami and sending back opener Tim Seifert off his first ball. Ferguson then rattled Shaw and Mandeep Singh with raw pace, castling them in his first over, fifth of the innings. Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant and Lalit Yadav forged a sedate 61-run alliance before Yadav’s run-out began the slide. Ferguson returned for his second spell and sent back Pant and Axar Patel in the same over to seal the outcome.
Delhi Capitals had won the toss and bowled. Titans were pegged back in the first over with left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman (3/23) sending back Matthew Wade on the third ball of the match.
Playing his first game for Titans, the Bangladesh pacer conceded just one boundary across his two spells and his frugal death bowling was instrumental in pegging back DC after Shubman Gill had set up a platform for the power-hitters.
Gill gets going
When on song, Gill is among the most pleasing batters to watch. Antithetical to a modern T20 batter, his game is built more on timing than brute power. On Satur- day, he composed a symphony under lights with assured stroke play and shot selection. The 22-year-old looked comfortable against pace and spin and showed his intentions early with a slog-swept six off Axar Patel. With skipper Pandya, he added 65 runs off 47 balls, playing a pivotal role in Titans’ rebuilding. The IPL newcomers scored 105 runs in their last 10 overs.
Gill’s 11th IPL fifty came off 32 balls and the shift in gear happened soon after. Khaleel Ahmed was creamed for consecutive fours in the 14th over and Kuldeep Yadav was hoisted into the stands. Axar Patel was hit for two sixes in the 16th over as Gill galloped into the 80s. A hundred seemed certain, but he fell in the 18th over, mistiming a pull off Khaleel to Axar at long-on.
Brief scores: Gujarat Titans 171/6 in 20 overs (S Gill 84; M Rahman 3/23) bt Delhi Capitals 157/9 in 20 overs (R Pant 43; L Ferguson 4/28) by 14 runs.