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Following the Gujarat Titans' 6-run win over the Mumbai Indians on Sunday, GT bowler Sai Kishore said that he expected dew to be a major factor in the match.
Kishore said that though there was dew the "ball was still holding on to the wicket". "I was actually expecting dew to play a major role. The ball was wet, but for some strange reason, the ball was still holding on the wicket. Usually, it slides on, but I was surprised by the amount of purchase I was getting. So I tried to go into the wicket and mix my pace, and go slower through the air," Kishore was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying. The 27-year-old called the pitch in Ahmedabad a "two-paced" wicket because of which they did not go directly go for yorkers. "Because the wicket was two-paced, we tried to go into the wicket a lot more, trust our length a lot more than directly going for yorkers. That resulted in getting a lot of wickets. It was attacking bowling even if the situation was otherwise," he added. He added that playing the second role in the game against Mumbai was more "exciting" than a lead role. "In the other teams where play I usually do the lead role. To do the second role makes it even more exciting. Most people are going to play off Rashid and come after me. That makes the challenge more exciting," he added. Coming to the match, MI opted to bowl first. Gujarat Titans were largely kept silent by Jasprit Bumrah (3/14) and Gerald Coetzee (2/27) and struggled to score at a good run rate. Sai Sudharsan (45 in 39 balls, with three fours and a six), skipper Shubman Gill (31 in 22 balls, with three fours and a six) and Rahul Tewatia (22 in 15 balls, with two fours and a six) chipped in with useful knocks to take GT to 168/6 in 20 overs. Chasing 169, MI lost Ishan Kishan (0) and Naman Dhir (20 in 10 balls, with a four and six) early, and were reduced to 30/2. However, a 77-run stand between Rohit Sharma (43 in 29 balls, seven fours and a six) and Dewald Brevis (46 in 38 balls, with two fours and three sixes brought back MI into the game. In death overs, pacers Spencer Johnson (2/25), Mohit Sharma (2/32) and Umesh Yadav (2/31) performed brilliantly, leaving MI six runs short. Hardik Pandya could score just 11 runs in four balls. The young Indian left-hand batter Sudarshan was awarded the Player of the Match for his brilliant performance. (ANI)
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