It was a day to remember for the Gujarat Titans, as the newest team in the competition reached their first final in their debut season. Hardik Pandya who has won 4 titles with the Mumbai Indians, wore a satisfied smile after a humdinger of a contest at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Gujarat Titans overcame middle overs jitters to beat RR by 7 wickets with 3 balls to spare. This meant that Gujarat not only qualified for the final, but also will get to play in Ahmedabad their home ground.
Hardik Pandya’s barb after the game –
Hardik Pandya did not have a 2021 to remember, as he had to undergo some tough times. His injury meant that he had a season top forget not only in the Indian colors but also for Mumbai Indians. His last appearance came during the T20 world cup, post which he lost his place in the side. He was also released from his Mumbai Indians team and was duly picked by Gujarat as the first choice and made the captain. Speaking during the post game interaction, Pandya said “Logo ka toh kaam hai kehna. Kya karu sir? Hardik Pandya ke saath thoda news bikta hai. Mujhe koi problem nahi hai. Hasi ke saath nikal deta hoon”
Pandya praises the knock played by Miller –
David Miller turned back the clock like it was IPL 2013 and went after the RR bowlers. The South African came back to haunt his former team with a knock for the ages. He struck 3 sixes of 3 balls of Prasidh Krishna in the final over to seal GT’s spot in the final. Miller was not out on 68 off 38 balls with 3 fours and 5 massive sixes. Speaking about Miller, the proud GT skipper said “I am genuinely proud of the way he has lifted his game up. He is such a wonderful guy. I always wanted good things to happen to him. It shows that if you give importance to an individual player, he can flourish and how. A lot of people counted David Miller out, but for us he was always a match-winner from the time we bought him at the auction. We always expected him to do what he did today. For us, it was important to give him that clarity about what we expect from him”
Chasing 189 to win, GT lost Saha early for a 2nd ball duck. Shubman Gill was out 35 off 21 balls after having added 72 for the 2nd wicket with Wade. It was soon 85 for 3 when Wade was out of 35 off 30 balls. Just when GT looked in trouble, Pandya and Miller added 104 unbeaten runs for the 4th wicket to steer the team home. Pandya was not out on 40 from 27 balls with 5 fours and played the sheet anchors role to perfection. Gujarat now await the other finalists. Rajasthan meanwhile will be looking at the RCB vs LSG in anticipation which is to be played on Wednesday.
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