He said such mistakes are like a crime in cricket and usually come back to hurt the team, which is what happened in this game.
Gujarat Titans (GT) won a close match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. Rain affected the game, so the target was changed to 147 runs in 19 overs. Gujarat chased it down in the last over, thanks to important runs from Rahul Tewatia and Gerald Coetzee.
With this win, Gujarat now sits at the top of the points table with eight wins from 11 matches. Mumbai, on the other hand, is now in fourth place with seven wins from 12 games. They must win both of their remaining matches to have a chance of reaching the playoffs.
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In a close match that went down to the final ball, Mumbai Indians lost to Gujarat Titans by three wickets. Both teams made mistakes, but MI captain Hardik Pandya was especially disappointed after the defeat.
Hardik Pandya said the dropped catch of Shubman Gill was not the main reason they lost. What really cost them were the three no balls in the match, two by him and one by Deepak Chahar in the final over. He said such mistakes are like a crime in cricket and usually come back to hurt the team, which is what happened in this game.
The skipper bowled two no balls in the eighth over, which gave away 18 runs. Later, while defending 14 runs in the final over, Chahar bowled another no ball at a key moment. Still, Hardik praised the team for giving everything they had and fighting till the very end.
“The catches didn’t really cost us. We were very clinical with that,” Hardik said after MI’s three-wicket defeat. “Maybe definitely with the no-balls, with my no-ball and even the last (over) no-ball. “That, in my eyes, indeed it’s a crime, and most often than not it kind of bites you. It definitely did to us, but at the same point of time, really happy with the boys giving their 120% and making sure that we are in the game and not giving up,” Hardik said.
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Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill said the conditions at the start of their chase felt more like a Test match than a T20. The fast bowlers were getting a lot of movement, the wind was strong, and the rain made it difficult to bat.
He explained that during the powerplay, they had to stick to basic cricket shots because of the tough conditions. After the powerplay, they planned to play their natural game, but the rain kept interrupting the flow. Gill also mentioned that in a T20 game, it is not easy to return to the field with the same rhythm after a long rain break.
“The game plans were definitely different when we were playing in the powerplay. There was wind and a little bit of rain and just the atmosphere was such, it felt like a Test match for the first four to five overs,” Gill said. “We just had to play proper normal cricket and once the powerplay was over, we thought, now we will try to play our normal game a little bit more. But the rain kept coming in. It’s not easy in a T20 match, if there is such a long break to be able to come back and start the game,” Shubman Gill said.
The skipper shared that the match was full of emotions, with frustration being the main one, as Gujarat Titans were in a strong position at one stage. He explained that in a span of four overs, the team scored just 13 runs and lost four wickets, which reminded him of a tough Test match session that goes against you. That period was quite frustrating for him, but he believed the universe gave them another opportunity, and fortunately, things worked out in their favour.
“A lot of emotions, most of them were frustrating, because at one point we were such ahead in the game,” Gill said. “Then, I think, four overs of play, 20 [13] runs for four wickets, it felt like one of those Test match sessions, which don’t go your way. That period was quite frustrating, but I think the universe gave us one more chance, and everything worked out well for us,” he added.
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