How Sai Sudharsan’s workman-like 82 laid the foundation for Titans’ stroll | Ipl News

Synopsis: Early Archer fireworks not enough for Rajasthan Royals as Gujarat Titans knock them off for a comfortable home victory after a solid, all-round performance.On a pitch that has consently been batting-friendly, Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson had reasoned that dew would play a major factor in the Ahmedabad humidity after winning the toss and opting to field against the Gujarat Titans on Wednesday. His counterpart, Shubman Gill, had agreed with the hypothesis.
None of that seemed to keep down Gujarat’s bowlers or prove to be beneficial to Rajasthan’s batters, who, outside of a few sparks that never lasted more than three overs in a row, showed little ability to chase down the 218 target that was put in place the home team, who, thanks to Sai Sudharsan’s well-composed 82, cantered to a 58-run win to go top of the IPL table.
12 enthralling deliveries
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Try as one may, but resing the urge to watch Jofra Archer’s scorcher to take Gil’s wicket – the kind of delivery with massive replay and rescroll value – is difficult. A quick, pitched up, delightful inswinger that went clean through the enormous gap between Gill’s bat and pad and sent his off-stump cartwheeling. It was the high point of an enthralling spell from the Briton, whose recent form is plenty of evidence of why Rajasthan kept faith in him and paid Rs 12.50 crores for his services.

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Jos Buttler would arrive in the middle to replace Gill. Buttler and Archer have not featured for England in a Test match for three and four years, respectively. But as a mini face-off ensued between the compatriots – on the red soil pitch laid out in Ahmedabad, which had a touch of grass and some pace and bounce – there was plenty to rue about that fact.
Buttler was welcomed with a frightening bouncer. Samson responded placing two slips and a forward short leg, which nearly paid off. Then the fast bowler pitched in the inswinger that foxed Gill, but Buttler moved his front foot an inch and unfurled an easy cover drive for four. Game recognises game.
Archer’s first two overs were largely insignificant to the final result of the game. But it was the highest quality of cricket in this patchy game, after which there was little else to be excited about in Rajasthan’s bowling, unless the viewing public was transfixed their propensity to bowl wides. (Yes, the full-ish ball wide of off stump is the secret sauce of a fulfilling T20 meal, but 138 deliveries to complete a 20-over innings?)
Sudharsan makes bowlers pay
Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler stitched together the kind of partnership that may not be very entertaining but can be supremely effective. They may have mishit a few, but they hung around, found gaps and ran hard to keep the scorecard ticking to 9 or 10 an over.Story continues below this ad
Sudharsan’s workman-like 53-ball 82 was particularly significant here. The Tamil Nadu batter has been in fine form for Gujarat in this tournament and while he is not a big hitter, his ability to make bowlers pay for makes is uncanny. Pitch it up too much? Get carved square of the wicket. Don’t bowl to the field setting? See a gap pierced. Leave it too short? See it soar over point or fine

Elegance Power
Display of complete range from Sai Sudharsan and Shahrukh Khan
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Ably assed in good partnerships Buttler and later Shahrukh Khan, Sudharsan set up the first innings base nicely. A tad on the slower side, but with eight boundaries and three sixes, he accelerated enough for the innings to be finished off with a couple of big hits from Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia (with a crucial 12-ball 24), as Gujarat ended with a comfortable-looking score of 217.
Easy win
And comfortable it would be.
Rajasthan lost two early wickets, going from 12/2 to 57/2 in the powerplay before crucial wickets took them down to 68/4. Once Samson, after a mini recovery, had a late cut off a quicker shot ball from Prasidh Krishna caught at short third, their run chase was all but over.
There had been a few bright sparks: Samson staying steady, Riyan Parag timing it well, and Shimron Hetmyer’s well-made 31-ball 52 going in vain. But with just two wins in five, it is hard not to worry about where Rajasthan are going. Not only has their middle order not fired, but with the iffy form of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was cheaply dismissed for 6 here again, there is little to be positive about their batting. Their bowling looks even worse, there is little threat or bite from spin or pace without some heroics from Archer.
Gujarat, meanwhile, look like they are ticking the boxes. Their middle order is a perceived weakness too, but it has not been needed so far—one of their top three has fired in each of the four wins they have picked out of five matches, as Sudharsan did today, and there seems to be some hitting power in their late order too.Story continues below this ad
Their bowling is their strong suit. Siraj, on form this tournament, once again gave the early platform picking off Nitish Rana after getting him caught at deep third, setting a trap that he seemed to put in place all on his own. Prasidh, with his expert short ball, has proven to be quite a useful partner, even in the absence of Kagiso Rabada, and he picked up three wickets here in the middle overs. Further good news was to come on Wednesday after leggie Rashid too got a couple of wickets to work himself back into form.
Their credentials as contenders for the playoffs were solidified further after the easy win.
Brief Scores: Gujarat Titans 217/6 in 20 overs (Sudharsan 82, Shahrukh Khan 36; Archer 1/30) beat Rajasthan Royals 159 all out in 19.2 overs (Hetmyer 52; Prasidh 3/24)