KKR vs GT Match Report: Table toppers Gujarat Titans won at Eden Gardens
KKR vs GT Match Report: Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens and beat KKR at their home to move to top of the table.
Kolkata – KKR vs GT Match Report, April 29, 2023:Three wins on the trot, sixth of the campaign so far, 12th in 13 chases and top of the table! Gujarat Titans’ trip to the “City of Joy” turned out to be delightful and we recorded another clinical performance.
Toss
Captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Mohammed Shami again gave us the first breakthrough with the ball. Jagatheesan walks across to flick it, but Shami’s pace beats the batter and he is trapped in front of the wickets. In his next over, he took a brilliant catch from Mohit Sharma to dismiss Shardul Thakur as well.
Gurbaz Glitz
However, our former titan Rahmanullah Gurbaz was all guns blazing at the other end. He got his half-century in quick time but our bowlers continued to press on with wickets at the other end.
Joshua Little went on the attack in the 11th over and took two big wickets. After dismissing Venkatesh Iyer, he took the big wicket of KKR skipper Nitish Rana. His tight spell in the middle overs kept the Titans tight.
Noor Struck
Noor Ahmed returned for the second spell and struck immediately, scoring 81 off 39 balls off the dangerous Gurbaz. He dropped another in-form batsman Ringu Singh in his final over.
However, birthday boy Andre Russell gave the hosts a strong finish as they posted 179 for 4 in 20 overs. Shami (3 for 33 runs), Little (2 for 25 runs) and Noor (2 for 21 runs) returned to action in the Titans team.
Chase Begin
After the break, Shubman Gill gave us a brilliant start. He hit four boundaries in the third over bowled by Harshit Rana, which included some pace and punches. Despite losing Saha early on, Gill kept up the pace alongside skipper Pandya.
Both mixed caution and aggression well to ensure that the required ratio was kept under control. However, there was tension for a while as Hardik and Shubman were dismissed in quick succession. The KKR spinners kept things tight for a couple of overs, but the fury that followed took us to the line quicker than we expected.
Killer Miller
David Miller started the attack as always. Our Proteas stalwart again played a key role in the middle overs, scoring some crucial boundaries and shifting the momentum in our direction. He blasted Suyash Sharma for two sixes.
Shankar Strikes
Shankar, who scored a half-century against KKR last time out, got away with a boundary off Suyash and then hit Andre Russell over mid-wicket for a six. In the 17th over bowled by Varun Chakraborty, Shankar switched to a sixer and hit three sixes to score 24 runs.
The two wrapped up proceedings in the 18th over and Shankar got to his half-century in style with another huge six at fine leg. We ended another away tour with a win with 13 balls to spare.
KKR vs GT Summary
Kolkata Knight Riders 179/7 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 81; Mohammed Shami 3/33) lost to Gujarat Titans 180/3 in 17.5 overs (Vijay Shankar 51*, Subman Gill 49).
Man of the Match: Joshua Little
Gujarat Titans fast-bowler Joshua Little said that he has settled into the side nicely now after his Player of the Match performance against KKR.
Who Said What
Josh Little, Player of the Match: I just spoke to Hardik before the game and we talked about keeping it as simple as possible – hitting the hard lengths, and happy that I could do it today. The first game of the season was always going to be nerves. I have settled in nicely now. (On his plan on this pitch) It was just about smashing back of a length and letting the ball do the talking.
Hardik Pandya, Gujarat Titans captain: (On Noor and Little) They got us back in the game and they kept us in the hunt. The way Gurbaz batted – he was hitting good balls with some conviction and clarity. The way they (Noor and Little) bowled was great. I would have taken 180 on that wicket any given day. In a group, we know that to win the game, irrespective of the situation, we have to play good cricket. that humbleness is helping us win games of cricket. They are respecting the situation, we want to face it and it is just about playing good cricket and being smart. (On Vijay Shankar) He is a fitter Vijay Shankar, more confident and the amount of hard work he has put in is terrific. His hits changed the game and moving forward, we can expect more of the same. I always felt that good people get to good places and he is certainly one of those.
Nitish Rana, Kolkata Knight Riders captain:Â (On the score) I think we were 20-25 runs short. If we keep dropping catches against big teams, I do not think the result will be any different. No one apart from Gurbaz and Russell got going. There were not enough partnerships and had we had a partnership of 40-50 runs, the score could have been more. We kept them quiet in the middle overs but against such teams, if you do not take your chances, you will end up on the losing side. If we do well in all three departments, only then will we have a chance. Unless we do that, the result will not be in our favour. I feel the small moments are more important than the big moments. If you do these small things well, like taking catches and fielding well, there are more chances of victory.
Result
Gujarat Titans moved to the top of the table after betting KKR’s at their home ‘Eden Garden‘
