The Gujarat Titans had no qualms about taking advantage of home field advantage. They also didn’t hesitate to acknowledge that they suppressed the Mumbai Indians’ hitters using a “black” substance. It paid off, as they extended their grasp on the Mumbai Indians at home on Saturday, March 29, winning by 36 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium.
“It is obviously black soil,” Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel said in reference to the vital playing field.
Regardless of other concerns, the Titans had every right to choose the pitch they wanted. After all, it’s the host team’s prerogative. According to reports, the Knight Riders are not receiving the pitch they want at the Eden in Kolkata, but that is not really a factor in this case.
“(This is) on a slower side, something which we wanted,” Parthiv disclosed. “Mumbai has been playing on a crimson surface to be ready. We made a conscious effort to do so. Playing on dark soil was what we desired. It’s starting off a little stickier and is now halting. The field appears to have numerous fissures from the outset.
The black dirt surface is not very favorable for stroke play, in contrast to the red soil pitch that MI is used to at its home field, the Wankhede. The Titans and Punjab Kings played a high-scoring match with 475 runs scored between them just a few days ago after the Titans laid out a red dirt wicket. On the surface, the visitors flourished and won by 11 runs. This time, the Titans learned from the experience.
The MI hitters, who prefer free-flowing stroke play, do not especially enjoy the conditions on the black soil pitch, where the ball holds up and gets onto the bat a little slower. Even if the surface was in their favor, the GT bowlers still needed to take advantage of the help. And they consistently did it on a night when it appeared like the weather gods were on their side as well; there was no significant dew to lessen their advantage.
Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Ishant Sharma, GT’s pacers, tangled the MI hitters in knots, demonstrating how well the plan worked. When the asking rate in MI’s chase was almost 10 an over, they combined to return figures of five for 111 in 14 overs at an economy rate of 7.92. Set, match, game.
Prasidh Krishna is erect
Prasidh was the most impressive of the pacers; he was practically unplayable on a surface that he skillfully took advantage of with his nuanced variations. He made it nearly impossible for the batters to execute their shots with a high release point and a well-balanced combination of slow cutters, flawlessly pitched length balls, and sharp wide deliveries.
The gangling pacer, who was unexpectedly called up as the sixth bowling option, hit players like Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav with three unplayable overs. He ended his allotment with outstanding figures of 2 for 18, having not given up a boundary in his first three overs. Against a team that had some of the most feared white-ball hitters, that was pure gold.
GT captain Shubman Gill responded, “I think he did more than pretty well,” when asked if he thought Prasidh performed “pretty well” throughout the match. “We were able to come in like that under duress, and he performed a really outstanding job. Additionally, I believe he altered the rules for us. Because of the style he bowled, I believe he gave up about 14 runs (18), of which I believe he was hit for a couple of boundaries in the final over. Therefore, I don’t believe he let up six or seven runs in the first three overs (8). When the opposition is chasing 200 in a Twenty20 match, you know, the game is practically over.”
Who should win Player of the Match was pretty obvious. When Prasidh was given the honor, he remarked, “At this moment, I have nothing to say.” “To be honest, I was dying to go bowling. As we sat there, we watched the first inning. He continued by explaining why he bowled slower deliveries more often than faster ones, saying, “So we understood that cutters into the wicket were working well.” “I just figured that it was working well so I didn’t want to test the speed gun and tried to keep it simple.”
Rabada, Siraj, and even seasoned player Ishant were all equally disciplined and restrained. Siraj gave Rohit Sharma a nip back in his opening over to begin the MI thumping, and the Titans were unstoppable after that. Ryan Rickelton, the other opener, was soon bowled as well, forcing MI to play catch-up. Ishant let up just two runs in the fourth over of the MI chase, producing one of the best PowerPlay overs. With openers back and middle-order struggling on the slow black soil, they needed 197 and were 48/2 at the end of the sixth over.
“Good tactics from the opposition,” Trent Boult remarked, praising the Titans tactical approach. “It definitely makes sense to do that if you have those possibilities. But the MI pacer from New Zealand stated, “I don’t think we’ll be using it as an excuse.” “They demonstrated to us how to bowl on that wicket, and I believed they fought their way to a respectable total. So they deserve all the praise. It was just smart thinking, in my opinion, to use your edge and home tactics. Naturally, the home side should have an advantage, but as I mentioned before, that isn’t an excuse in our opinion. We comprehended the wicket.
Naturally, GT’s bowlers weren’t the only ones who performed admirably; their hitters also registered a respectable score. In the early PowerPlay overs, openers Sai Sudarshan and Shubman Gill tackled Boult’s and Deepak Chahar’s swing before pursuing them. Their first wicket partnership of 78 provided the bowlers with a significant amount to defend and served as a strong basis for the succeeding batters to reach a respectable total.
Regarding the team’s long-term planning, Gill stated, “The decision was taken before the first match that the second match will be played on black soil.” Indeed, that also had a role, but this wicket works for us. When batting on the black soil, it becomes challenging to clear the boundary after the ball ages. Thus, we made an effort to optimize PowerPlay. We may all discuss ideas, but occasionally things work out the way you want them to.
Their hitters and pacers, particularly Prasidh Krishna, were significantly responsible for last night’s success.
