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Following his side's 27-run loss to Mumbai Indians (MI) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya said that it felt that only Rashid Khan turned up from their group for the game and their bowling felt flat.
Rashid Khan's valiant knock of 79(32) was insufficient as Mumbai Indians registered a 27-run victory against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Maharashtra's Mumbai on Friday. "Felt like from our team only he (Rashid) turned up. The way he batted, the way he bowled, it was tremendous. Do not have to try much (after this result). As a group, we were not there. In bowling also we were very flat. Did not have clear plans or did not execute. Wicket was very flat but I felt we gave 25 runs extra. Have spoken enough about him (Surya). One of the best batters in T20 cricket. You saw what can happen if you do not execute your plans. For me, it is very important that as a bowler you are clear. I can only set the fields. We lacked a lot of execution and heart. That cost us the game. The intensity was also flat. Expected things to happen, but everyone knows at this level it does not just happen," said Hardik in a post-match presentation. Being put to bat first by GT, MI put up 218/5 on the board in their 20 overs. Openers Ishan Kishan (31 off 20 balls) and skipper Rohit Sharma (29 off 18 balls) provided a quick start with a quick 61-run opening stand. However, Rashid Khan removed the openers and Nehal Wadhera (15) to reduce MI to 88/3. From there, it was a 'Suryakukar Yadav show'. He put on a 65-run stand for the fourth wicket with Vishnu Vinod (30 off 20 balls). Suryakumar ended up scoring his maiden IPL century, a knock of 103* in 49 balls with 11 fours and six sixes. Rashid Khan (4/30) was the pick of the bowlers for GT. Mohit Sharma got a wicket as well. Chasing 219, GT lost wickets right from the start. They were reduced to 55/5, despite a knock of 29 runs from Vijay Shankar. But a partnership of 45 runs between David Miller (41 in 26 balls) and Rahul Tewatia (14 in 13 balls) helped GT reach three figures. Following their dismissal, it was Rashid Khan who kept the fight going. Even if the side looked out of the contest, his sixes helped in lowering the margin and did not let his side's net-run rate take a hit. The Afghan all-rounder slammed 79* in just 32 balls, consisting of three fours and 10 sixes. He put on an 88-run stand for the ninth wicket with Alzarri Joseph (7*) to take GT to 191/8 in their 20 overs. MI won the match by 27 runs. Akash Madhwal (3/31) was the pick of the bowlers for MI. Piyush Chawla (2/36) also continued his impressive run in IPL 2023. Jason Behrendorff got a wicket as well. Suryakumar won the 'Man of the Match' award for his match-winning century. With this win, MI is in the third position in the points table with seven wins and five losses. They have a total of 12 points. GT is still at the top with eight wins and four losses. They have a total of 16 points. (ANI)
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