Ashwin hails GT opener Sudarshan's stroke-filled 73 in absence of Gill against RR
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 4 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Gujarat Titans (GT) opener, Sai Sudarshan, for his excellent knock in a losing cause against Rajastha Royals and how the opening combination will be key for GT once skipper Shubman Gill returns from his injury.
Gill missed out on his first-ever game in GT colours due to muscle spasm, and the 2022 champions fell six runs short despite a valiant partnership between tailenders Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada against the Rajasthan Royals at Ahmedabad on Saturday.
During the chase of 211, opening with debutant Kumar Kushagra, Sudarshan made a 44-ball 73, with nine fours and three sixes, putting up 78 runs for the first wicket with Kushagra, who made just 18 on his GT debut.
Speaking during JioStar's 'Match Centre Live', Ashwin spoke about Sudarshan's knock during Gill's absence: 'Sai Sudharsan knew that Shubman wasn't playing today, so he had to do the heavy lifting himself. The way he started showed that he understands his strengths. He used pace well, guiding the ball towards third man, and then played some good cover drives on the front foot. He took on Jadeja immediately (in the ninth over) after he came into the attack, made use of the pace, and followed it up with a slog sweep."
"These are the strong areas for Sudarshan, which he relies on, and he got the results. He needs to play like this, carry the innings, but at a good tempo. And for the Gujarat Titans, missing Shubman Gill was a big setback. So obviously, when Shubman returns, this opening combination will be key for them going forward, yet again," he added.
Opting to bat first, RR put up a massive 210/6 on the board, with a 70-run stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (55 in 36 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (31 in 18 balls, with five fours and a six) laying down a solid foundation. Even while wickets fell from the other end, a mesmerising knock of 75 in 42 balls (with five fours and five sixes) took RR to a challenging score. Kagiso Rabada (2/42) was the pick of the bowlers for GT.
In the chase, Sudharsan (73) and Kushagra (18 in 14 balls, with three fours) put up a 78-run stand. After Sudharsan was dismissed at a score of 107 runs, GT faced a shocking collapse from 107/2 to 161/7. The pair of Rashid Khan (24 in 16 balls, with three fours) and Kagiso Rabada (23 in 16 balls, with a four and two sixes) put up a hopeful 43-run stand, but GT was restricted to 204/8 courtesy a last-over masterclass from Tushar Deshpande (1/24). Spinner Ravi Bishnoi (4/41) was the pick of the bowlers for RR. (ANI)
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