"GT's bowling effort was outstanding"; Anil Kumble praises Gujarat bowlers

New Delhi [India] May 7 (ANI): Former Indian head coach and legend Anil Kumble praised Gujarat Titans (GT) bowling performance, highlighting GT spinner Sai Kishore's exceptional left-arm spin that removed key batters against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Tuesday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

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He also noted that GT's batting in the chase was commendable, despite some earlier fielding issues.

"GT's bowling effort was outstanding. The first six overs were a bit sloppy in the field -- had they taken those catches, this game might have ended much earlier. That said, all their bowlers performed well. Sai Kishore was exceptional -- his left-arm spin removed two of the biggest threats, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. We've seen these two take games away repeatedly. For me, Sai Kishore was the unsung hero, delivering four impactful overs. And despite all the stoppages, GT's batting effort in the chase was equally commendable," JioStar expert Anil Kumble said while speaking on Match Centre Live on JioHotstar.

Coming to the match, GT won the toss and opted to bowl first. A 71-run stand between Will Jacks (53 in 35 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Suryakumar Yadav (35 in 24 balls, with five fours) was the highlight as wickets fell regularly, restricting MI to 155/8 in their 20 overs.

Sai Kishore (2/34) was the pick of the bowlers for GT, while Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, and Gerald Coetzee took a wicket each. The run-chase was a rollercoaster ride for both teams. GT did lose Sai Sudharsan early, but a 72-run stand between skipper Shubman Gill (43 in 46 balls, with three fours and a six) and Jos Buttler (30 in 27 balls, with three fours and a six) marked their comeback in the game.

In the 14th over, with GT 107/2, a rain break was taken with GT ahead as per the DLS Method. After the break, Jasprit Bumrah (2/19) and Trent Boult (2/22) brought MI back in the game, collapsing GT to 132/6 in 18 overs at the start of another rain break.

This time, GT was behind. When the game finally resumed, the revised target was 147 runs with one more over left. Rahul Tewatia (11*) and Gerald Coetzee (12) single-handedly finished the job for GT, earning them a win by three wickets on a last-ball thriller. Gill was given the 'Player of the Match' award. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)