IPL 2023: Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill react after GT’s thrilling win over PBKS – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Mohali: Gujarat Titans left their chase of a modest 154 runs up until the penultimate ball against Punjab Kings in Match 18 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday. Eventually, they won by six wickets with Rahul Tewatia getting the job done with a boundary.

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Shubman Gill scored 49-ball 67 runs but was dismissed in the final over from Sam Curran which created pressure on Gujarat Titans. The England seamer’s tight final over restricted David Miller from hitting any boundary. Finally, Tewatia took GT to third win in four matches.

Just four days ago, GT had been on the losing end in another close finish against Kolkata Knight Riders. That night, Rinku Singh had emerged as the hero with a 21-ball 48.

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“To be very honest, I would not appreciate the game to go this close from the situation we were in. There was definitely a lot for us to learn from this game,” Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya said in the post-match presentation.

“It would have been a tough pill to swallow if the game had gone the other side. I would like to finish the game earlier, not a big fan of taking it to the last over,” he added.

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The Gujarat Titans captain said the players need to take more risks in the middle overs when ahead in the game. GT were off to a flier in the powerplay overs before having their momentum snatched by Harpreet Brar.

“That’s the beauty of sports, it’s never over till it’s over. We need to go back to the drawing board. They bowled really well. Luckily all our batters are in good nick. We should take risks and play shots in the middle overs, need to make sure the game doesn’t go so deep,” he added.

The early flying start was courtesy Gill who said the wicket got tougher to bat on as the match went on.

“The wicket got tougher towards the end. It was difficult to score boundaries at will. It was important for us to run hard and get those boundaries,” Player of the Match Gill said after.

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The opener admitted he should have got the team to the finish line but joked Tewatia had a special connection with Punjab Kings.

“I feel I should have finished the match but I feel Rahul Tewatia and Punjab Kings is a love story,” he added.

Earlier, when GT were bowling, Mohit Sharma (2/18) made an excellent return to the IPL. In his first IPL game since 2020, Mohit was lethal in the penultimate over conceding just six runs.

“The wicket was good but because of the hardness of the soil and wicket, the ball was getting dried up. It was a belter when the new ball was playing. I was not surprised when Mohit and Alzarri came. They bowled terrific. Credit to Mohit to come join us as a net bowler and then wait for his chance, knowing his time will come and today it came,” said Pandya.

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