Gujarat Titans spinner Rashid Khan stated that he was more pleased about the team's victory than his stellar performances with the bat and bowl against Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
In a high-scoring run-fest, where boundaries rained throughout the night, GT emerged triumphant at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Wednesday. Rashid was at his best and played a crucial part in the three-wicket victory with his all-round performance. After the game, Rashid was asked about what aspect of his performance pleased him most, to which he replied, "Well, most pleasing was winning the game." On a night when bowlers conceded at a minimum economy of 8.00, Rashid stood out with his economical four-over spell of 1/18 and conceded runs at 4.50. While chasing 197, Rashid showed his remarkable skill set with the bat. He raced to 24* within a blink of an eye in just 11 deliveries. His unbeaten knock was laced with four boundaries. In the initial games, Rashid struggled to show his effectiveness and keep things calm in the middle overs for GT. He made his return after an injury and since his comeback, this was one of the instances where he found his rhythm and made the opposition batters dance to his tune. "I was struggling a bit with the bowling and was happy I was hitting the right areas today, and that made me happier, and gave me energy in my batting. I have not bowled much in the last three-four months and just trying to get used to bowling again, getting that feel back in my fingers, Rashid said. "I just lost a little bit of grip. Had a good session before the last game and that really helped me, and I felt I was a little bit back to my best. Enjoyed today. (On chasing a high run-rate) It is just a matter of hitting three or four sixes and that brings the run-rate down. You just have to be positive. The more positive you are thinking inside, the better the result comes out," he concluded. Coming to the match, while chasing 197, GT started off with a 64-run partnership between Sai Sudarshan and skipper Shubman Gill. Wickets kept falling from the other end and Gill scored before perishing in the 16th over. A brief cameo by Shahrukh Khan and later a 38-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia and Rashid infused life into the match again. Rashid finished off the chase with a four on the final ball. (ANI)
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