Ahmedabad , March 31: Sai Sudharsan and David Miller helped Gujarat Titans (GT) clinch 7-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
While chasing 163 runs, Wriddhiman Saha (25 runs from 13 balls) and Shubman Gill (36 runs from 28 balls) opened for the hosts. The GT openers built a 36-partnership until Shahbaz Ahmed dismissed Saha in the 5th over. The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 1 four and 2 sixes during his time on the crease.
Sudharshan (45 runs from 36 balls) replaced Saha on the crease and took control of the game to help GT add some crucial runs to the scoreboard. The 22-year-old played a fiery knock, helping his side come closer to the target.
In the 10th over, Mayank Markande bagged a crucial wicket to dismiss the GT skipper from the crease. Gill smashed 2 fours and 1 overhead boundary at a strike rate of 128.57.
After the 24-year-old’s dismissal, Miller (44 runs from 27 balls) came on the crease, built a 64-run partnership and helped GT come closer to the 163-run target.
Miller stayed on the crease till the last ball of the game and hit 4 fours and 2 sixes for a strike rate of 162.96.
The match-winning partnership between Sudharshan and Miller came to an end after Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins dismissed the Indian left-handed batter in the 17th over.
In the end, Vijay Shankar (14 runs from 11 balls) replaced Sudharshan. Shankar built a 30-run partnership with Miller and made it easier for the Gujarat-based franchise. The right-handed Indian batter hit 2 fours during his time on the crease.
In the first ball of the last over, Miller was facing Jaydev Unadkat and slammed a six-over long-off to end the match in style.
Hyderabad displayed a sloppy performance in the second inning, as they failed to defend the 163-run target. Only Cummins, Ahmed and Markande picked up wickets in the game for SRH.
Earlier in the first inning, after electing to bat first, Hyderabad openers Travis Head and Mayank Aggarwal got the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers off to a brisk start. They raised an opening stand of 34 runs off 4.2 overs before Mayank holed out to the deep for a personal score of 16.
At the fall of his wicket, the star from the last match, Abhishek Sharma, came out all guns blazing, as he did against the Mumbai Indians. The Sunrisers brought up their 50 off just 5.2 overs as Abhishek slammed a six off the bowling of leg spinner Rashid Khan.
The second wicket fell on the fourth ball of the seventh over when the team score was 58. Head was dismissed after scoring 19 runs with the help of three fours.
After Head’s wicket, Aiden Markra came out to the field. Markram along with Abhishek were able to add only 16 runs as the latter was dismissed after scoring 29 runs which was laced with two fours and two sixes in the innings.
After Abhishek’s wicket, the wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen came out to bat. The Hyderabad-based franchise crossed the 100-run mark on the fourth ball of the 13 over as Klaasen smashed a maximum on the bowling of Noor.
After completing 100 runs, the franchise first lost the wicket of Klaasen in the 14th over when the team score was 108 after scoring 24 runs in just 13 balls which was laced by two sixes and a four and then at 114 when Markram went back to the dressing room after scoring 17 runs in the 15th over.
After the two quick wickets, Abdul Samad and Shabaz Ahmed were on the crease.
The SRH team completed 150 runs as Samad pushed the ball for a double on the second ball of the penultimate over of the inning bowled by Darshan Nalkande.
The hosts lost three wickets in the last over. Two were grabbed by Mohit and one came through a run out.
SRH finished the first innings at 162/8.
The pick of the bowlers for last year’s finalist was Mohit who snapped three wickets in his spell of four overs where he conceded 25 runs. One wicket was bagged by Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Rashid, and Noor in their spells where they conceded 24, 28, 33, and 32 runs respectively.
Brief Score:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 162/8 (Abhishek Sharma 29, Abdul Samad 29, Heinrich Klaasen 24; Mohit Sharma 3/25) vs Gujarat Titans 168/3 (Sai Sudharsan 45, David Miller 44*, Shubman Gill 36; Pat Cummins 1/28).
(ANI)
