GT Vs MI: It was a sensational evening match of the double-header of Sunday as Hardik Pandya couldn't get his 'Hardik Swagat' in Ahmedabad, as Gujarat Titans started their IPL 2024 on a winning note. The match was already a high-voltage fixture, as the build-up behind it was extremely aggressive, and it was evidently visible, as Hardik Pandya was heavily booed throughout the match.
GT merely managed 168 in their 20 overs, as there were no half-centurions, and with MI cruising past GT till 12th over on the banks of Rohit Sharma and Dewald Brevis, it seemed to be an easy MI win, but impact player Mohit Sharma had other plans, as his figures of 2/32 in his four overs, alongside Spencer Johnson and Sai Kishore delivered one of the most iconic victories for the Titans with a six-run win.
"Obviously, we backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs. But it was one of those days where if we saw the score is less in the last five overs, we lost the momentum. It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy the atmosphere. The crowd was full and they got a good game," said Hardik Pandya, MI captain.
The MI captain also stated that he completely supports the decision making of Tilak Varma, as the latter avoided a single in the 17th over.
"I think Tilak felt it was the right decision to not give strike to David and I completely back him," he added.
Spencer Johnson also had a spectacular IPL debut and he was thrilled to make his debut and that, he enoyed the aura and atmosphere of the fixture.
"Absolutely incredible. Full house here and to get a win has been really special. I think stay calm. I had Ash there at long off chatting with me. To get the belief from Ash and from everyone, it was pretty cool. For me, what works well is bowling the hard length. Keeping calm and not panicking. Just sticking to what I do well. This is easily the biggest. I always wanted to play cricket here in India and here I am. Hopefully, we will keep winning. Shubman was unbelievable. He sat beside me on the bus and he kept me calm. He has been an incredible young captain," said the Australian pacer.
The fixture was also a stern test for Shubman Gill, who was captaining an IPL side for the very first side and the Indian opener came out triumphant against the five-time IPL winners, Mumbai Indians.
"Yeah, definitely the boys held their nerves with the dew coming in. Yeah there was a lot of dew, I think even with the dew the way our spinners bowled Rashid and Sai they made sure that we are in the game. Yeah, Mohit Sharma has been a revolution for us from the time he has come, even in the last year he performed really well. We just were looking to keep building the pressure on them," said Gill.
"The crowd has always come here to support us, whether it was a day game or a night game. Yeah, 170, would have been a good score but we were 10 runs short but it happens in this game. They were also scoring really good at one point, but it wasn't easy hitting the all here," he added.
Sai Sudharshan's vital contribution came in as a pivotal point of the fixture and for his antics, he was awarded the Player of the Match award. The left handed batsman had the following to say in the post-match presentation ceremony:
"I feel in the first innings also it was slightly difficult to bat and in the second innings due to the dew they were able to play some shots. Yeah, I feel that we have pulled off a great game today. I am not taking it as pressure it's just an extra opportunity for me to go out there and express myself. Definitely, after a few balls, I felt it was not the wicket where we could go over in every over. Yeah, fielding was really great, too many great contributions I am surprised to receive this award. As a batter, I found really difficult when their bowlers took the pace off the ball and our bowlers did a good job."
For more information and detailed highlights of the match, read below: