Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya said he was delighted with the all-round team effort in their maiden Indian Premier League win on Monday. Gujarat won the freshmen’s clash against the Lucknow Super Giants, gunning down 159 in a last-over thriller at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
speak afterwards won his first ever IPL game as captainHardik Pandya said he couldn’t have asked for a better start, adding that the way everyone on the team contributed to the win will boost confidence as they head into their inaugural season.
Gujarat, as Hardik pointed out, had more than one protagonist in their 5-wicket win over Lucknow, as Mohammed Shami, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar and the skipper himself all played their part.
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While Shami’s opening 3-wicket push shook Lucknow’s batting unit after Hardik decided to bowl, Rahul Tewtia (40 not of 24) and David Miller (21-bal 30) revived their chase, which stuttered after Gujarat captain Hardik and opener Matthew had lost a wade in quick succession after a steady stand between the two.
As the game drew to a close, Tewatia and Miller brought Lucknow’s bowlers to the cleaners before Karnataka’s highly rated Abhinav Manohar hit 15 of just 7 balls to send them over the finish line.
“We want to win as a team and nobody can take the contribution anyway. It was pretty muggy too, so I wouldn’t have ended Shami’s spell over there.
“Manohar is a talent to behold with his talent. He’s someone you’ll be hearing from in the future. Tewatia was sensational too,” said Hardik.
“FAMILY IS HAPPY”
Hardik progressed well and showed signs of punching power in his first game as captain. However, he rose in the 11st to his brother Krunal, who was terrific with the ball for Lucknow Super Giants. Hardik made 33 from 28 but his dismissal put pressure on the Gujarat middle order before Tewatia and Miller began a counterattack.
Hardik said his brother’s dismissal didn’t pinch him as Gujarat finished on the right side of the result.
“Getting out of Krunal would have pinched me more if we had lost, but now the family is neutral and happy. He got me out and we won the match,” Hardik added.
Earlier in the day, Shami shook Lucknow and removed opening players KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock. However, Deepak Hooda (54) and young Ayush Badoni (54) helped LSG recover from 29/4 and post 158 on the board.
