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Following the loss to Gujarat Titans (GT), Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted that his side was not at its best with the bat and emphasised that the remaining league stage matches will be treated like playoff matches.
In a run-chase which was halted by rain breaks, Gujarat Titans' smart batting, on-point application of skill emerged on top as they chased down the revised target of 147 runs set by MI with one ball to spare at Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. With this win, not only did GT rise to the top, but it also ended MI's dominant six-match winning streak. Speaking during the post-match presser, Jayawardene said that despite batting well till 12 overs, MI failed to bat "smartly" during the last eight or so, and also admitted that both teams made quite a few mistakes. "I think it sums it up with those margins. Both teams made quite a few mistakes all day in the middle, and we probably made more than they did. I think that is the difference. I think we did not play our best, especially with the bat. I thought we were set up nicely [initially] and then, we just had to bat those last eight overs, which we did not bat smartly," said Jayawardene as quoted by MI's official website. The head coach also said his team fell 30 runs short on the wicket. "The guys bowled really well and created a lot of opportunities. So, I think that is a good sign, and we treat every game as a playoff game from here on. I am very proud of the boys today, the way they fought back from that situation," Mahela added. The head coach praised the bowling efforts of his team, particularly against GT's top three of skipper Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, as it was the first match this season that all three of them failed to hit a half-century. So far, at least one of these players, or at best two, had managed a half-century in each match. "We had some good plans against their top three batters, and we executed really well. We had them under control. They would have had to take more risks against our bowling, and that would have created more opportunities," said Jayawardene. "That is when you look at the entire segment, that is how the game would span out. But obviously, with the weather, there are a lot of things which we go through in our heads during that time," he concluded. Coming to the match, GT won the toss and opted to bowl first. A 71-run stand between Will Jacks (53 in 35 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Suryakumar Yadav (35 in 24 balls, with five fours) was the highlight as wickets fell regularly, restricting MI to 155/8 in their 20 overs. Sai Kishore (2/34) was the pick of the bowlers for GT, while Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, and Gerald Coetzee took a wicket each. The run-chase was a rollercoaster ride for both teams. GT did lose Sai Sudharsan early, but a 72-run stand between skipper Shubman Gill (43 in 46 balls, with three fours and a six) and Jos Buttler (30 in 27 balls, with three fours and a six) marked their comeback in the game. In the 14th over, with GT 107/2, a rain break was taken with GT ahead as per the DLS Method. After the break, Jasprit Bumrah (2/19) and Trent Boult (2/22) brought MI back in the game, collapsing GT to 132/6 in 18 overs at the start of another rain break. This time, GT was behind. When the game finally resumed, the revised target was 147 runs with one more over left. Rahul Tewatia (11*) and Gerald Coetzee (12) single-handedly finished the job for GT, earning them a win by three wickets on a last-ball thriller. GT is at the top with eight wins, three losses and 16 points, while MI sits at fourth with seven wins and five losses, giving them 14 points. Their six-match win streak is finally broken. Gill was given the 'Player of the Match' award. (ANI)
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