IPL 2023, GT vs SRH emotional rollercoaster: There was a big gulf in class as Titans sealed their playoff spot, showing Sunrisers the exit door
Unable to tackle quality bowling
Mohammed Shami’s bowling in this IPL would not be out of place in a Test match, regardless of pitch conditions. The Sunrisers Hyderabad had seemingly no clue about how to combat quality bowling with the new cherry. The total they were chasing was not enormous so they could afford to give Shami the respect he deserved. But Anmolpreet Singh thought it fit to attempt a hoick off a back-of-a-length delivery, only to get a top edge that was caught at third man. Rahul Tripathi gave regulation catching practice behind the wicket as he guided Shami to Rahul Tewatia at slip. Abhishek Sharma had already been dismissed a lazy waft off returning left-armer Yash Dayal. Even skipper Aiden Markram found Shami too hot to handle, a length ball taking a leading edge and landing in point’s hand as the South African looked to turn it to the legside. The procession continued and went on to prove why Sunrisers Hyderabad is considered to have the weakest batting line-up in the league.
Four fours in a row: without violence, without any adrenalin rush
Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill celebrates scoring a century during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, May 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
Perhaps Shubman Gill will not find a simpler chance to hit four fours in a row as he would do on Monday night. The left-armer Fazalhaq Farooqi seemed cooked right after the first four, off the third ball of the fourth over. It was a short of length delivery and Gill did what he does: that short-arm-jab pull to midwicket boundary. From then on the nerves shredded. A leg side ball was despatched off a clip, a length ball with a bit of width outside off was caressed to point where it was misfielded, and the final ball was a slower on that sat up outside leg stump and Gill put it out of misery tapping it past short fine-leg.
Four wickets in five balls, as Bhuvneshwar’s five-for triggers chaos
The innings that had four fours in a row early on ended with four wickets in five balls and actually could well have been five wickets in six balls. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had the centurion Shubman Gill snapped at extra cover before his slower one started to consume one victim after another. Rashid Khan was too early with his swat, Noor Ahmed was beaten the slower one and was run out trying to steal a e but the relay throw combo from the keeper-bowler did him in. Then another slower one had Mohammed Shami hole out and it could well have been five in six balls when Mohit Sharma missed the final slower one from Bhuvneshwar and stole a e. Had Klassen’s under-arm throw found the stumps, Shanaka would have been run out as well.
