Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya lauded Shubman Gill’s explosive century after making back-to-back finals in the IPL.
“I think the clarity and confidence Shubman is carrying is amazing. Today’s innings was one of the finest, he never looked to rush things. It felt like someone was throwing balls and he was hitting,” Pandya said on Friday.
Rohit Sharma admitted Gill made the difference in Qualifier 2.
“Shubman batted well and the wicket was good. They got 20-25 extra. We were positive after the first-half. Greeny (Cameron Green) and Surya batted well but we lost our way. We wanted to give it a good crack, be positive,” said Rohit.
“We couldn’t get going in the Powerplay. We wanted one batter, like Gujarat did, and take the game deep where anything could happen on a good pitch and a ground with a small boundary. But credit to the Titans, who played well.”
He also felt Ishan Kishan’s freak injury during the Titans innings upset their plans. “Kishan’s concussion was unexpected. It was a last-minute change. We had to adapt, to different conditions.”
The Mumbai Indians captain also looked at the positives. “Playing this game, qualifying and coming this far is big, the batting has been a big positive we can take into the next season. All the bowling teams have been challenged. We had a great performance in the last game. We have to credit Shubman. I hope he continues that form...”
Mohit Sharma, who took five for 10, said the match was not over till the last ball was bowled. “The ball was skidding and it looked like game would slip if Surya and Green got going. I thought I wouldn’t experiment...
“We were okay being hit for sixes off length balls as that’s more difficult. The match wasn’t over after Surya was out but there was relief.”
