The Gujarat Titans secured a thrilling victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 Indian Premier League game on Wednesday night. Chasing a 196-run target, the Titans were reeling at 140/5 in 16 overs before Rahul Tewatia (41*) and Rashid Khan (30*) turned the game on its head, with the latter hitting three massive sixes in the last over against Marco Jansen to steer the side to its seventh win of the season. The Titans reached the top of the table, as a result of the fabulous victory; however, their captain Hardik Pandya had almost prepared for a Super Over.
In a conversation with Rashid and Tewatia on IPL’s official website, Pandya revealed that he was ready for a tie but the side’s head coach, Ashish Nehra told him to hold on.
I’ve started watching the matches as a neutral nowadays. Neither I’m too happy, nor too sad, because my behavior will have an effect on the dugout as well. But in all games, I and Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) feel ‘this game is getting tighter’,” Pandya said in the video.
“I was getting ready for Super Over but Ashu bhai said, ‘Hey, hold on! We are finishing this here only’. You (to Tewatia) sent the thigh pad back and I thought, these guys are going for Super Over!” Tewatia, then, explained the reason behind sending back the thigh pad.
“I thought, if the bowler bowls a yorker, Rashid bhai will play the shot that he usually plays through the middle of his legs towards square boundary. I thought that if it is not a six, I have to run no matter what. But Rashid bhai did it,” Tewatia explained.
With the win, Gujarat Titans now have 14 points in the season and are firmly at the top of the table with a game’s advantage. Sunrisers, meanwhile, remain third with 10 points.
