Hardik Pandya didn’t receive the warmest of welcomes from the crowd at the Motera in Ahmedabad on Sunday. But that may not have disappointed the former Gujarat Titans captain as much as the six-run defeat the Mumbai Indians suffered in his first game in charge.
Mumbai were not able to pull it off despite having only 43 to get off the last five overs and with seven wickets still in hand. That was they did a good job in restricting the Titans to 168/6. Mumbai finished on 162/9.
In their chase, Mumbai lost Ishan Kishan in the very first over with nothing on the board. The keeper-batter, who no longer has a BCCI central contract, had a forgettable time out in the middle. But former captain Rohit Sharma (43 off 29 balls) and Impact Player Dewald Brevis (46 off 38 balls) kept finding the boundaries just when their side needed, making the equation easier for Mumbai.
Even after Rohit’s dismissal, off left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore (1/24), it seemed Mumbai would cruise to the target. But that was not to be.
In a picture shared on X, Gujarat Titans pacer Mohit Sharma (left) gets a hug from skipper Shubman Gill
A string of dot balls from ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan (0/23) and Impact Player Mohit Sharma (in for Sai Sudharsan) upped the pressure on Mumbai on a slow, tricky surface. While Rashid was at his accurate best, Mohit rightly took pace off the ball on such a surface as the reliable Tilak Varma and Australian big-hitter Tim David just couldn’t connect.
Mohit, after accounting for Brevis, induced a top edge off David to put the Titans back on top. Varma raised Mumbai's hopes when he launched left-arm quick Spencer Johnson into the stands. The equation then was 21 required off 11 balls. But Johnson, a Rs 10-crore buy of the Titans, bounced back to dismiss Varma and Gerald Coetzee in that same over with Mumbai left to score 19 off the last six balls remaining.
One wonders why Pandya came out to bat so late at No.7, but the skipper did keep Mumbai's hopes alive when he slammed Umesh Yadav for a six and a four off the first two balls of the final over. The momentum though once again swung in the Titans’ favour as Umesh delivered his short stuff in the right direction which had Pandya perish in the deep. Piyush Chawla fell off the next delivery.
That was practically game over for Mumbai.
Mumbai captain Pandya shrugged off the defeat in his first match as skipper saying there were still "13 games to go", but for Shubman Gill, it was a dream 'debut' as the Titans' skipper. He held his nerves right through and utilised Mohit quite well, getting the latter to bowl effectively in the death.
Ahmedabad Mumbai Indians' Gerald Coetzee with teammates celebrates the wicket of Gujarat Titans' Azmatullah Omarzai during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat
Earlier, led by Jasprit Bumrah (3/14) and Coetzee (2/27), MI did well to limit the Titans below 170 after opting to bowl first. Courtesy the talented Sai Sudharsan, who top-scored with 45 off 39 balls, the Titans were well-placed to set an imposing target. But Sai fell to Bumrah, who had earlier foxed David Miller in the same over with a slower one.
The Titans’ hopes of reaching 170 or beyond were as good as over when Coetzee removed the dangerous Rahul Tewatia. It didn’t hurt the Titans in the end though, as their bowlers stood up when it mattered.
