Shubhman Gill – Artifex.News

Gill sees nothing wrong in decision to enforce follow-on

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 16:24:00 +0000

Shubman Gill termed the draw as a disappointing result.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Ever since V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid ambushed Australia at the Eden Gardens in 2001, most skippers are wary about asking the rival team to bat again. But there are exceptions and Shubman Gill, goaded by the whimsical rains in the Sri Lankan capital, had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on.

However, the men from the Emerald Isle, admirably guided by centurion Sonal Dinusha gained a hard-fought draw in the second Test here at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground. Gill, though, felt that given the match-situation, his decision was fine. “I would not say it (follow-on) backfired. We were also anticipating (wet) weather on day four and five. But you have to take the best decision possible in that situation,” Gill told the media here on Thursday.

Explaining the strategy, the Indian skipper said: “We attacked in the beginning but as the match went on, the pitch got slower. As a batter, if you know that bowlers do not have two modes of dismissal (bowled and lbw) in play, then it becomes easier to bat. We tried our best but they also batted really well. It was obviously disappointing.”

Looking back at the series, Gill drew heart from the performances of some players: “Devdutt (Padikkal) did really well. And Manav (Suthar), technically this is his first full series, did well. Prasidh (Krishna) has been the pick of our bowlers, been our go-to bowler and created chances. Overall we played good cricket.”

WTC final hopes

And as for a chance in the ICC World Test Championship final, Gill leant on hope: “I still think we have a pretty good chance to qualify. If we play the New Zealand series well and then hopefully when Australia comes, we just have to win that series”.

Published – August 27, 2026 09:54 pm IST

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Hayden backs Gill to rise to Test challenge, says India has ‘job to do’ ahead of WTC final

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:38:00 +0000

Matthew Hayden. File
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has backed India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill to handle the challenges facing the team in the longer format, saying the skipper is “a wonderful young man and a good leader” despite India’s indifferent start to the ongoing World Test Championship cycle (2025-27).

Speaking to ANI ahead of the first Test between Australia and Bangladesh in Darwin, Hayden acknowledged that India has work to do in Test cricket but expressed confidence that Gill can lead the side through the challenges ahead.

“I guess in many ways India as a cricketing nation has also had a brilliant captain in Shubman Gill. He has many challenges to face, none of which is more important than the survival of Test match cricket,” Hayden told ANI.

India is currently fifth in the WTC 2025-27 standings, having won four and lost four of their nine matches, with one draw. Hayden said the team’s record highlighted the challenges facing India in the longest format despite their strength in white-ball cricket.

“And I feel India are in a much better position to continue their winning ways in the short formats, 50-over in particular, and T20 cricket, and they do have some work to do as most nations do in and around their Test and longer formats,” he said.

“So I’m sure Shubman Gill will be up to that challenge. He’s a wonderful young man and a good leader, and he’s got a good team around him, albeit a team that’s going to need to perform some younger players and some more experienced players. But they’ve got a job to do ahead of the World Test Championship final, which is in June next year,” he added.

Hayden has had a close view of Gill’s leadership qualities, having served as batting coach of Gujarat Titans during the 2026 Indian Premier League season, when Gill captained the franchise to the final. Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Gujarat Titans to retain the IPL title.

The former Australian batter also reflected on how the current Indian team compares with the star-studded sides of previous eras, featuring players such as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

“I think that good cricketers are good cricketers. It doesn’t matter whether you’re comparing the times of the Bradman era, the times of Sachin Tendulkar, the Sourav Ganguly era. The full member nation teams are always full of very good cricketers,” Hayden said.

He added, “What we’re seeing now in Indian cricket is a fantastic young group of players who have much to prove across all formats of the game.”

Hayden pointed to India’s WTC record as evidence of the difficulty of maintaining dominance in Test cricket, particularly in an era where the relevance of the format is tied to the points-based championship.

“And when you look at things like the World Test Championship, where the relevance of Test match cricket is prioritised because of the point system, you see that India in spite of being a great team, has a winning percentage of less than 50%. You know, they’ve played nine games in this World Test Championship (WTC) calendar, and they’ve lost four and won four, and they’ve had one draw,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of India’s role in sustaining the longer format, given the country’s enormous influence on the global game through the IPL and white-ball cricket.

“And largely the success of the IPL has been borne, as I mentioned before, on the success of the shorter formats of the game,” Hayden said.

Hayden, who is now co-owner and head coach of Glasgow Cosmic in the inaugural European T20 Premier League, believes India’s young group has the quality to remain a force in limited-overs cricket while Gill and his teammates face the task of strengthening their Test campaign.

India’s next major WTC challenge will be to secure enough results over the remainder of the cycle to qualify for the final scheduled for June next year.

Published – August 13, 2026 01:14 am IST

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Kuldeep took break to assess body, not fitness concern: Sairaj Bahutule

admin — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 19:09:00 +0000

Kuldeep Yadav did not bowl in the second innings of the warm-up game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI as he wanted to assess his body after a heavy workload, India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said on Sunday, allaying concerns over the left-arm wrist-spinner’s fitness.

Kuldeep bowled 18 overs in the three-day game after also putting in two-three overs before the match, and Bahutule said the decision to rest him was purely precautionary.

“Kuldeep bowled almost 20 overs in the sense 18 in the match and about two-three overs before the game also. He had a very good outing and he just wanted to take a break in terms of just understanding how his body is at,” Bahutule said after the warm-up game here.

The other spinners — Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain — were given extended outings as India used the game to assess their options ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.

“Manav bowled about 14-15 overs, Jaddu bowled about 14-15 overs. So, they got a very good outing, they understood how the pitch reacts and I think it was a great prep for them,” he said.

The pitch offered little assistance to the spinners initially but began to turn as the game progressed, providing valuable exposure to India’s slow bowlers.

“The bowlers had a great opportunity to go down and express themselves on a pitch which was slightly on a flatter side in the first day. But as the days went by, there was more turn on to it and definitely a good outing for the spinners,” Bahutule said.

India had fielded a strong squad for the warm-up game with the primary objective of adapting to local conditions, and Bahutule felt the players made the most of the opportunity.

“Most of the guys have come here, experienced guys, Jaddu has already played here. But the new guys like Manav and a few others, Saransh Jain, they need to just adapt to what will be the ideal lines, what will be the ideal lengths and obviously the field sets, which is very much important.”

India’s management was also satisfied with Shubman Gill’s recovery after he was hit on his right hand during a net session on Thursday.

Gill did not bat on the opening day as a precaution but returned to score useful runs later in the game, while also taking part in catching drills.

“It was just a precaution more than anything else. And he has been absolutely fine. He has been doing his training. And the management decided that we could just take that precaution of not putting him into that first day,” Bahutule said.

He also praised Gill’s meticulous preparation, saying the India captain was preparing specifically for the threat posed by Sri Lanka’s spinners.

“Shubman takes his preparation very seriously. And he is a very meticulous boy. And he understands that whatever is the demand for that particular series with the attack, which has been successful for the Sri Lankan team. His preparation is done accordingly,” he said.

He was responding to different scenarios in the nets, Bahutule added, explaining that the team was trying to replicate situations Gill could encounter during the Test series.

India also used the game to improve the batting of their lower-order players, with bowlers such as Gurnoor Brar getting opportunities with the bat.

“All the lower-order bowlers, who basically bat in lower order, their contribution will always be very useful to achieve a good total in the Test match. And that is the entire process. We are encouraging them to bat as much as possible in the nets,” Bahutule said.

Devdutt Padikkal’s century has also strengthened his case for a place in the playing XI, though Bahutule said the final call would be taken after assessing the conditions in Galle.

“He expressed himself. He batted beautifully. And he is ready to, you know, whatever the decision, once we go to Galle, we will see the pitch.” With India currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, Bahutule said the team was keen to make the most of the Sri Lanka series.

“WTC cycle is a very important cycle. And every series is important. So, our effort is that, back of the mind, we definitely want to go there and win. And be a part of the finals and win the WTC also,” he said.

On India’s four spinners — Jadeja, Suthar, Jain and Kuldeep — Bahutule said each offered a different quality, making the selection call in Galle a difficult but welcome one.

“All four spinners have that uniqueness. We have got experience with Jaddu. We have got great accuracy levels with Manav Suthar. And, obviously, Saransh has got experience. He has performed really well in domestic cricket. And that is how he has earned his spot,” he said.

“And Kuldeep, being a wrist spinner, it always helps to have a wrist spinner in the side so that there is variety.”

Published – August 10, 2026 12:50 am IST

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Shubman Gill, and the evolution of a batter and captain

admin — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0000

India were expected to win 2-0, and they did exactly that. The focus, however, was on Shubhman Gill, a different personality than the one who led the Indian team on the tour of England recently, his inaugural series in charge. Then he was an untested quality, batting average in the 30s, captaincy experience in red ball cricket limited.

He had to prove himself on two fronts while taking Indian cricket forward following the departure of the three stalwarts, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. With over 750 runs in five Tests, he made a mockery of the uncertainty over his ability to adapt to conditions in England. And a 2-2 series finish meant his captaincy wasn’t too shabby either.

Quick learner

In both roles, he showed himself to be a quick learner, earning the respect of his colleagues, and especially those who might have nursed ambitions of their own of leading India. And he did it his way, with little fuss, no excessive attention-seeking on the field, and with confidence suggesting he had been born into his roles.

Being accepted as an Indian captain is a major task. It seldom happens in the first series, especially when former captains are in the team. But K.L. Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah only made Gill’s task easier, acting like the senior players they were, ready with advice and the occasional concern which was not driven by personal agenda.

This was seldom the case with young captains in the past, as with Mohammad Azharuddin on his first series as captain in New Zealand. Or even Sourav Ganguly who said famously that he had the second most important job in the country after the Prime Minister. Probably the second most difficult too.

With that background, Gill took on the West Indies. Anything less than at least one century and a 2-0 series win would have been seen as a disaster. Questions would have been asked. Trolls — and he seems to attract a particularly vicious lot — would have had a field day. No individual, let alone a national captain should be subject to such abuse.

Gill ticked the boxes then, with a century himself in a 2-0 win. He showed he clearly enjoys his job. But it’s more than just the runs. Equally important is the manner in which he has made them as a fitting successor to Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli at No. 4 in the order.

Ruthless

Few batters in international cricket drive or pull with his elegance; none play the short arm jab with such certainty. ‘Ruthlessness’ is not a word that should be associated with sport, but there is a ruthlessness about the batting which is not yet a feature of his captaincy.

Most captains would have chosen to bat again in the Delhi Test, piled up a quick total and then with the track having deteriorated, asked the West Indies to either swim or sink. Indian bowlers needed nearly 120 over to dismiss them a second time — they bowled nearly 200 overs in a row — and although time was not a factor, rest was not factored in. That’s a minor crib, however, but ‘workload management’ being the current buzz phrase, such things will attract attention.

From a larger perspective, the fact that it enabled two visitors to make centuries and hint however weakly at the suggestion of a West Indies revival, can only be good for that game. Sometimes unintended consequences can be positive, although the West Indies will have to do a lot more. The desperation that cricket fans have for the resurgence of a once-great team like the West Indies is a feature of the modern game.

As Gill knows, every series is a test, every format another challenge. To lead in all three formats (Gill leads in two and is vice captain in T20) while being the side’s leading batter is not unusual, but requires great adaptability and amazing fitness, both physical and mental.

Every captain stamps the team with his own personality. While Gill evolves into the leader he will become, and the Indian team settles into the ideal version of the captain, Indian fans can look forward to a treat in the process. That is what change promises.

Published – October 15, 2025 12:30 am IST

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Dhoni is the natural choice as captain of best all-format XI

admin — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:00:00 +0000

The selection of Shubman Gill for the Asia Cup might be debatable. Not because he is not good enough, but because the Test series against the West Indies commences three days after the final there. He will soon be an all-format captain.

T20 has evolved quickly thanks to the domestic franchises, and what, in another field, would be called continuous research. T20 progresses in a different culture altogether. Not surprisingly, the all-format player is becoming a rarity; impactful T20 players are not necessarily automatic selections for Tests, and vice versa.

Hence the obvious question: what is India’s best all-format team? India played (and won) their first-ever T20I in 2006, against South Africa, who like them, fielded a Test team. India’s game-altering World Cup win was a few months away. The IPL was in the future. The data-crunchers hadn’t yet got into their act, and it was all seen as a bit of a hit-and-giggle affair.

Any all-format team would have to be picked from players who actually took part in a T20I, which means the Kapil Devs, and Mohammad Azharuddins who might have been automatic selections won’t make it. Admittedly, this is a fantasy team, and there is an argument for including such players on the basis of what they have accomplished in other formats, but we need to draw a line somewhere. So no Kapil, Salim Durrani or Anil Kumble (although he did play for RCB in the IPL). The inevitable arguments can begin right here!

Great opening pair

Sachin Tendulkar played that inaugural match. He made only 10 runs, but considering he ended up with another 34,347 runs in all formats combined, with a hundred centuries and 201 wickets, it will be difficult to keep him out (not that one needs to).

He opens, therefore, with Rohit Sharma, who has more runs here than anyone else, and a strike rate of 141. Gill walks in at No. 3, secure in the knowledge that everything doesn’t depend on him, and he is free to play his natural game. For following him in the order is Virat Kohli, who at one time, averaged over 50 in each of the formats, and finished with nearly 49 in T20 and a strike rate of 137.

As the format evolves further, it is likely that the top half of the batting is expected to have a strike rate above 170 or so. Often a six-ball 20 might be more valuable in the cause than a 10-ball 18, avoiding dot balls more productive. There are theoreticians and experimenters in every team, the ideologues who decide the culture. Winning is everything, but knowing how to win is crucial.

At No. 5, do we pick Suresh Raina for his left-handedness or K.L. Rahul for his ability to make a difference regardless of format, or Rishabh Pant whose best may yet be ahead of him? Rahul and Pant are established Test men, which except briefly, Raina never was. So Raina misses out.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni to follow them gives the team an important match-winner in the lower half, a wicketkeeper and captain all in one. Dhoni has been one of the finest captains in the format, with the gift of doing the unexpected as he showed in his World Cup decision while handing the ball to Joginder Sharma and changed the face of international cricket.

Providing depth

Dhoni’s CSK teammate Ravindra Jadeja follows, ensuring batting depth and a crucial spinner. At nine would be Bhuvneshwar Kumar (who once had figures of five for four in an international), to be followed by the great Jasprit Bumrah, the figure likely to be in an all-time eleven in all formats taken either separately or collectively.

To clarify, some of the players above might not be in an all-time Test XI or in an all-time ODI XI. One of India’s most successful bowlers in the format, Yuzvendra Chahal completes the line-up.

The fun of choosing all-time XIs lies in the fact that with time, some players drop out as cricket changes and those who adapt better get more successful. It is the nature of sport. Five years on, it will be surprising if half our team above retain their places.

Published – September 03, 2025 12:30 am IST

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IPL-17: GT vs CSK | Gill and Sai Sudharsan hammer the daylights out of CSK attack

admin — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:03:44 +0000

The previous occasion Gujarat Titans met Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium, B. Sai Sudharsan stroked his way to a brilliant 96 in the 2023 IPL final in a losing cause.

Against the same opponent on Friday, Sai Sudharsan went on to score his maiden IPL hundred (103, 51b, 5×4, 7×6) to power Titans to 231 for three after being asked to bat.

Perfect guide

The opener had his partner Shubman Gill to guide him along. The skipper made a hundred of his own (104, 55b, 9×4, 6×6) as the two made mincemeat of a hapless Super Kings attack during their 210-run partnership and set up a 35-run win. The duo made optimum use of the good batting conditions, displaying their full range with a mix of conventional batting and smart improvisation.

Right from the first ball he faced, Gill showed he meant business; he cut Mitchell Santner for a four and deposited him over long-on in the first over.

Sai Sudharsan joined the party with a couple of sixes. He then went after Ravindra Jadeja, targeting the leg-side boundary and getting to his half-century with a slog-swept six.

Ruturaj Gaikwad had to rely on seamers Simarjeet Singh and Daryl Mitchell as the spinners struggled, but the plan backfired. The floodgates opened in the 11th over when Gill pulled Simarjeet over fine-leg for a maximum to reach his half-century before Sai Sudharsan finished the over with a brace of sixes.

Gill turned his attention to Daryl Mitchell in the 14th over, smashing three sixes. To make it more agonising for the bowler, Tushar Deshpande dropped the second shot at long-off when the batter was on 72.

As they had done throughout their innings, Gill and Sai Sudharsan majestically touched the three-figure mark in the 17th over bowled by Simarjeet. While the former punished a full toss, the latter scooped the ball over fine-leg for a maximum.

Though Deshpande and Shardul Thakur pulled things back for Super Kings in the final five overs, they couldn’t stop Titans from making a mammoth total.

Chasing a target of 232, CSK was reduced to 10 for three. Mitchell (63) and Moeen Ali (56) put up a fight, adding 109 for the fourth wicket. Mohit Sharma weaved his magic, foxing Mitchell and Moeen with slower deliveries as the chase fizzled out. With their fifth victory, Titans lived to fight another day.

SCOREBOARD

GUJARAT TITANS

B. Sai Sudharsan c Dube b Deshpande 103 (51b, 5×4, 7×6), Shubman Gill c Jadeja b Deshpande 104 (55b, 9×4, 6×6), David Miller (not out) 16 (11b, 1×4), M. Shahrukh Khan run out 2 (3b); Extras (lb-1, w-5): 6; Total (for three wkts. in 20 overs): 231.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-210 (Sai Sudharsan, 17.2 overs), 2-213 (Gill, 17.6), 3-231 (Shahrukh, 19.6).

SUPER KINGS BOWLING

Santner 2-0-31-0, Deshpande 4-0-33-2, Shardul 4-0-25-0, Simarjeet 4-0-60-0, Jadeja 2-0-29-0, Mitchell 4-0-52-0.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Ajinkya Rahane (Impact Player in place of Deshpande) c Tewatia b Warrier 1 (5b), Rachin Ravindra run out 1 (2b), Ruturaj Gaikwad c Rashid b Umesh 0 (3b), Daryl Mitchell c Shahrukh b Mohit 63 (34b, 7×4, 3×6), Moeen Ali c Noor b Mohit 56 (36b, 4×4, 4×6), Shivam Dube c Noor b Mohit 21 (13b, 2×4, 1×6), Ravindra Jadeja c Miller b Rashid 18 (10b, 2×4, 1×6), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 26 (11b, 1×4, 3×6), Mitchell Santner b Rashid 0 (2b), Shardul Thakur (not out) 3 (4b): Extras (lb-3, w-4): 7; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 196.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-2 (Ravindra, 0.6), 2-2 (Rahane, 1.1), 3-10 (Ruturaj, 2.5), 4-119 (Mitchell, 12.2), 5-135 (Moeen, 14.2), 6-165 (Dube, 16.4), 7-169 (Jadeja, 17.3), 8-169 (Santner, 17.5).

TITANS BOWLING

Umesh 3-0-20-1, Warrier (Impact Player in place of Sai Sudharsan) 3-0-28-1, Tyagi 4-0-51-0, Noor 2-0-25-0, Rashid 4-0-38-2, Mohit 4-0-31-3.

Toss: CSK. PoM: Gill.

Titans won by 35 runs.

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IPL-17: RCB vs GT | Skipper du Plessis and pacers do it for Royal Challengers against Titans

admin — Sat, 04 May 2024 13:57:40 +0000

An authoritative Royal Challengers Bengaluru shut down Gujarat Titans by four wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.

A third win in a row pushed RCB to seventh on the points table, providing impetus to its playoff hopes.

The home team outplayed GT in all departments. A disciplined bowling performance restricted GT to 147, before a belligerent knock from Faf du Plessis (64, 23b, 10×4, 3×6) left GT with nowhere to hide.

Power play

With an eye on improving the net run-rate, du Plessis and opening partner Virat Kohli put on a whopping 92 runs in 5.5 overs. The electric start helped RCB reach the target with 6.2 overs to spare.

Kohli (42, 27b, 2×4, 4×6) went past Chennai Super Kings’ Ruturaj Gaikwad to regain his place as the tournament’s highest run-scorer.

RCB experienced minor jitters when it fell to 117 for six, but the experienced Dinesh Karthik (21 n.o.) ensured a job well done. RCB’s memorable night out was set up by a brilliant display with the ball.

The fast bowlers — Mohammed Siraj, V. Vyshak, Yash Dayal, and Cameron Green — were destructive on a pitch which offered extra carry.

GT did itself no favours by moving at a snail’s pace with the bat.

The perplexing trend was started by openers Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill, who scratched about to get two runs in the first two overs.

The first boundary of the essay came in the fourth over, when an inside edge gave Shahrukh Khan some respite.

GT crawled to 23 for three in six overs— the lowest PowerPlay score thus far in IPL 2024.

The tedious repair work was left to David Miller and Shahrukh.

Miller received a life on 23, when Karn Sharma dropped a straightforward chance at deep square-leg. It did not prove to be costly, as Karn deceived Miller with a flighted delivery a short while later.

An athletic piece of fielding from Kohli got rid of the dangerous Shahrukh (37).

Kohli swooped in, picked up the ball and threw down the stumps at the non-strikers’ end to leave Shahrukh short of the crease.

GT’s hopes of recording a substantial total vanished with Shahrukh’s dismissal.

SCOREBOARD

GUJARAT TITANS

Wriddhiman Saha c Karthik b Siraj 1 (7b), Shubman Gill c Vyshak b Siraj 2 (7b), Sai Sudharsan c Kohli b Green 6 (14b), Shahrukh Khan (run out) 37 (24b, 5×4, 1×6), David Miller c Maxwell b Karn 30 (20b, 3×4, 2×6), Rahul Tewatia c Vyshak b Dayal 35 (21b, 5×4, 1×6), Rashid Khan b Dayal 18 (14b, 2×4, 1×6), Vijay Shankar (Impact Player in place of Sai Sudharsan) c Siraj b Vyshak 10 (7b, 2×4), Manav Suthar c Swapnil b Vyshak 1 (2b), Mohit Sharma (run out) 0 (1b), Noor Ahmad (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (b-2, lb-1, w-4): 7; Total (in 19.3 overs): 147.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-1 (Saha, 1.3 overs), 2-10 (Gill, 3.5), 3-19 (Sai Sudharsan, 5.3), 4-80 (Miller, 11.4), 5-87 (Shahrukh, 12.4), 6-131 (Rashid, 17.3), 7-136 (Tewatia, 17.6), 8-147 (Suthar, 19.1), 9-147 (Mohit, 19.2).

RCB BOWLING

Swapnil 1-0-1-0, Siraj 4-0-29-2, Dayal 4-0-21-2, Green 4-0-28-1, Vyshak 3.3-0-23-2, Karn 3-0-42-1.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS

Virat Kohli c Saha b Noor 42 (27b, 2×4, 4×6), Faf du Plessis c Shahrukh b Little 64 (23b, 10×4, 3×6), Will Jacks c Shahrukh b Noor 1 (3b), Rajat Patidar (Impact Player in place of Dayal) c Miller b Little 2 (3b), Glenn Maxwell c Miller b Little 4 (3b, 1×4), Cameron Green c Shahrukh b Little 1 (2b), Dinesh Karthik (not out) 21 (12b, 3×4), Swapnil Singh (not out) 15 (9b, 2×4, 1×6); Extras (lb-1, w-1): 2; Total (for six wkts. in 13.4 overs): 152.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-92 (du Plessis, 5.5), 2-99 (Jacks, 6.5), 3-103 (Patidar, 7.3), 4-107 (Maxwell, 7.6), 5-111 (Green, 9.5), 6-117 (Kohli, 10.4).

TITANS BOWLING

Mohit 2-0-32-0, Little 4-0-45-4, Suthar 2-0-26-0, Noor 4-0-23-2, Rashid 1.4-0-25-0.

Toss: RCB.

PoM: Siraj.

RCB won by four wickets with 38 balls to spare.

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IPL-17: RCB vs GT | Royal Challengers will strive to keep their momentum going as they host Gill’s Gujarat Titans

admin — Fri, 03 May 2024 09:36:12 +0000

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be meeting Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru to notch a mandatory win to keep the dream of reaching playoffs flickering.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Having notched up wins in its last two fixtures, Royal Challengers Bengaluru has kept its IPL playoff hopes alive. RCB will strive to keep the momentum going with a good result against Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru on May 4.

RCB holds sway, having gotten past the same opponent last week at Ahmedabad. The victory was set up by a brilliant unbeaten 41-ball 100 from Will Jacks, with Virat Kohli (70 n.o.) playing the supporting role.

Unlike many other sides, RCB has not been able to take full advantage of home conditions. Faf du Plessis and his men have managed only one positive result in four games held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here.

Jacks believes that RCB is now well poised to do well at home, given that their batters have found form. “We do not want to focus on our losing record here. Because of the playing conditions, it is hard to have home advantage. The pitches are good and the boundaries are small. If a batter gets going, it is hard to stop. Now that our batters are in form, we can hopefully finish our home games strongly,” Jacks said.

The city welcomed a long-awaited spell of rain on Friday, even if it mildly disrupted the training schedule of the teams. The skies cleared up later, allowing players to get a hit under lights.

Much like RCB, GT is teetering on the edge of elimination. With eight points from 10 matches, the visitor needs to get on a winning streak to push for a playoff spot. GT must address its bowling woes, having conceded 200-plus scores in its last two outings.

Teams (from):

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), David Miller, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson, Sandeep Warrier, BR Sharath.

Match starts at 7.30 PM.

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IPL-17: GT vs RCB | Jacks shows Royal Challengers still have the will

admin — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 09:56:18 +0000

Royal Challengers Bengaluru player Will Jacks during his brilliant century knock at the Indian Premier League 2024 match against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on April28, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

The Indian Batting League — also known as the Indian Premier League — continues to make the bowlers question their wisdom of opting for their profession.

Another score of 200 or more was chased down with ridiculous ease on Sunday. Put in to bat, Gujarat Titans had made 200 for three, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed past that total with four overs and nine wickets to spare to post its third win, and the second in as many games.

That man who has mastered the art of chasing was there till the end. And Virat Kohli played brilliantly, but he was overshadowed at the Narendra Modi Stadium by Will Jacks.

The Indian superstar didn’t mind that at all; he didn’t hide his emotion when he watched Will Jacks completing his stunning hundred with a six, the only way to reach the landmark, as just one was required at that time.

Kohli (70 n.o., 44b, 6×4, 3×6) and Jacks (100 n.o., 41b, 5×4, 10×6) put on 166 for the unfinished second wicket. That was after Kohli and captain Faf du Plessis raced to 40 within four overs.

Jacks may have taken some time to get going; he was on 16 off as many balls after 10 overs. His partner had by that time reached another fifty, this time off 32 balls. The Englishman soon tore into the GT attack.

After hitting Mohit Sharma for a six and a four in the 11th over, he targeted the seamer again when he came back for his second over. He clobbered him for 28 runs in the 15th over which also had a no-ball.

In the next over, Kohli took a single off Rashid Khan’s first ball to let Jacks finish the job. That over also produced 29, with the last ball dispatched over deep mid-wicket.

Earlier, it took an 86-run stand from the two Tamil Nadu batters B. Sai Sudharshan (84 n.o., 49b, 8×4, 4×6) and M. Shahrukh Khan (58, 30b, 3×4, 5×6) to recover from 45 for two in 6.4 overs. The ploy to send Shahrukh at No. 4 worked, but his big hits were to be upstaged by Jacks’.

Scoreboard

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha c Sharma b Swapnil Singh 5 Shubman Gill c Green b Maxwell 16 Sai Sudharsan not out 84 M Shahrukh Khan b Mohammed Siraj 58 David Miller not out 26 Extras: (LB-1 NB-1 W-9) 11

Total: (For 3 wickets in 20 overs) 200

Fall of wickets: 1/6 2/45 3/131

Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowling: Swapnil Singh 3-0-23-1, Mohammed Siraj 4-0-34-1, Yash Dayal 4-0-34-0, Glenn Maxwell 3-0-28-1, Karn Sharma 3-0-38-0, Cameron Green 3-0-42-0.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innings: Virat Kohli not out 70 Faf du Plessis c (sub)Vijay Shankar b Sai Kishore 24 Will Jacks not out 100 Extras: (B-4, LB-4, W-3, NB-1) 12

Total: (1 wkt, 16 Overs) 206

Fall of Wickets: 1-40.

Gujarat Titans bowling: Azmatullah Omarzai 2-0-18-0, Sandeep Warrier 1-0-15-0, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore 3-0-30-1, Rashid Khan 4-0-51-0, Noor Ahmad 4-0-43-0, Mohit Sharma 2-0-41-0.

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IPL-17: GT vs SRH | Sunrisers Hyderabad’s explosive form threatens Gujarat Titans

admin — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 09:34:04 +0000

A depleted Gujarat Titans bowling attack will have to raise its game by quite a few notches if it intends to stop a marauding Sunrisers Hyderabad team fresh from its record total against Mumbai Indians, in the upcoming afternoon IPL match in Ahmedabad on March 31.

Sunrisers are coming here on the back of breaking the ceiling for all time IPL total when they plundered 277 against Mumbai Indians to secure their first win of the season.

First time skipper Shubman Gill’s Titans, who started off with a win at home against Mumbai Indians, on the other hand slipped in Chennai in their previous game.

The profligate Umesh Yadav is no match for injured Mohmmed Shami and that is proving to be a big factor for Titans.

The resounding 63-run defeat affected their net run rate as it plummeted to -1.425, worst among the league’s 10 teams, which could cause some problems towards the business end of the tournament. It can’t be denied that losing Hardik Pandya, who lends necessary balance with his all-round skills has also been a big factor.

Winners and runners-up in the last two seasons, GT’s success under Pandya has centred around one of their batters ability to come up trumps and play a match winning role.

Whether it’s Wriddhiman Saha, David Miller, Pandya, or Rahul Tewatia, one of them has typically ignited the batting lineup. However, in the absence of the inspirational India all-rounder, their batting display appears drab and lacking its usual spark.

Gujarat Titans had a one-day style batting approach chasing Chennai Super Kings’ imposing 207, and barring Sai Sudharsan none could reach 30s.

The likes of Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar look unidimensional, while Gill’s T20 batting will again come for scrutiny, after his knocks of 31 and 8.

That their finisher Miller (12 and 21) is also struggling underscored their slow approach in the middle overs (11-15) where they managed just 34 runs.

They would hope that Miller is able to get his mojo back as they would have to bat out of their skin to match SRH’s batting might.

Tournament dark horses SRH have lit up the IPL with a record-breaking performance at home in their last match.

Their 277/3 against Mumbai in Hyderabad on Wednesday took them past the previous record IPL total of 263/5 set by Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013.

Australia World Cup winner Travis Head (62; 24b) made a stunning debut for SRH, smashing the fastest fifty for the franchise, taking 18 balls for the milestone to give them an explosive start.

The feat was then bettered by uncapped Indian Abhishek Sharma who got to his fifty in just 16 balls.

With the South African duo of Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen too have been in imperious form lower down the order, the likes of Umesh Yadav and Rashid Khan will be tested.

Being an afternoon match, the dry surface may also prove handy for the spinners as Rashid and Sai Kishore will be crucial for either sides.

It’s not just their batting their bowling also looked balanced and the Australian World Cup winning skipper Pat Cummins has shown his ability to utilise his resources well.

Despite a thin spin presence, Cummins did well to use left arm orthodox Shahbaz Ahmed to good effect in dismissing Ishan Kishan inside the power-play.

In the pace bowling front, Cummins has formed a fine partnership with Indian veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who bowled a superb 13th over, giving away just five runs in a game that was primarily dominated by batters.

Cummins then conceded just three runs in the 15th over and also dismissed Tilak Varma against the run of play to turn the course of the game.

On paper though both teams have two points from as many matches but after their batting carnage in Hyderabad, SRH appear strong favourites, while the onus would be on GT batters to raise their game.

Squads

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), David Miller, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Robin Minz, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Mandhar, B Sai Sudarshan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shahrukh Khan, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Kartik Tyagi, Shshant Mishra, Spencer Johnson, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Umesh Yadav, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma and Manav Suthar.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Travis Head, Wanindu Hasaranga, Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav, Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh and Jhathavedh Subramanyan.

Match starts: 3.30pm.

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