Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya takes full responsibility for defeat to Delhi Capitals
Gujarat Titans’ skipper, Hardik Pandya, has taken full responsibility for his team’s unexpected loss against the Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The Titans were chasing a relatively low total of 130, but they struggled to get going, losing four key wickets early in their innings. Hardik was the only batsman who managed to stay at the crease, but he played a very sedate innings and was unable to finish off the game as he had hoped.
Early Wickets and Partnership Pressure
The Titans have been known for their aggressive chasing approach, but things didn’t go according to plan in this match. They lost four wickets within the first seven overs, including the crucial wickets of Shubman Gill and David Miller. This left Hardik and Abhinav Manohar with the pressure of building a partnership to steady the innings, rather than going for quick runs.
Slow Scoring Rate and No Big Overs
Hardik’s innings was similar to his performance in the afternoon game against Lucknow Super Giants, but he failed to hit the big shots that were necessary in this game. He struggled to find the fence in the last 13 balls of his innings, precisely when the asking rate had increased significantly. He admitted that he could not find his rhythm, and this, combined with losing early wickets, put his team under immense pressure. Titans’ approach has always been to take the game deep and rely on the power game of their finishers to get them across the line, but this method did not work in this game.
Mohammed Shami’s Excellent Bowling Effort
Despite the defeat, Hardik had high praise for Mohammed Shami’s outstanding spell, which saw him pick up four wickets through accurate lines and sharp seam movement. Hardik expressed regret that his team failed to capitalise on Shami’s excellent bowling effort.
Conclusion
The Titans’ defeat was their first of the season in a run chase and only their second loss overall from 14 games. Although the surface was a tad slower than what they were used to, Hardik did not feel that it played a significant role in their loss. Instead, he pointed to the pressure of losing early wickets and his inability to finish the game. The Titans next travel to Jaipur to take on the Rajasthan Royals on Friday.
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