Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya said that he is happy with the extensive team effort in their maiden win in the Indian Premier League on Monday. Gujarat won the battle of the novices against Lucknow Super Giants by scoring 159 runs in a last-over thriller at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
speak later Winning his first IPL match as captainHardik Pandya said he could not have asked for a better start than this, adding that the way everyone in the team contributed to the win, it would give a boost of confidence as they progress into their inaugural season.
Gujarat, as Hardik pointed out, had more than one hero in their 5-wicket win over Lucknow with Mohammed Shami, Rahul Tewatia, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar and the captain himself.
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Shami’s early 3-wicket haul shook Lucknow’s batting unit after Hardik opted to bowl, with Rahul Tewatia (40 not out on 24) and David Miller (21-ball 30) resuming their chase. Gujarat captain Hardik and opener Mathew were stammering after the loss. The two descended sharply after a steady stand between them.
As the game turned to strings, Tewatia and Miller took the Lucknow bowlers to the cleaners before Karnataka’s high-class Abhinav Manohar scored 15 runs in just 7 balls to take them past the finish line.
“We want to win as a team and nobody can take any contribution. It was also quite humid, so I couldn’t finish Shami’s spell over there.
Hardik said, “Manohar has some talent which can be seen with the talent he has. He is someone you will hear about in future. Tewatiya was also sensational.”
‘family happy’
Hardik was getting along well, showing signs of his big-hitting skills in his first match as captain. However, he 1. I got out1st over to his brother Kunal, who was brilliant with the ball for Lucknow Super Giants. Hardik scored 33 off 28 but his dismissal put pressure on Gujarat’s middle order before Tewatia and Miller counter-attacked.
Hardik said getting his brother out didn’t bother him as Gujarat finished on the right side of the result.
“Had we lost, going to Kunal would have hurt me more, but now the family is neutral and happy. He got me out and we won the match,” Hardik said.
Earlier in the day, Shami shocked Lucknow by removing openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock. However, Deepak Hooda (54) and youngster Ayush Badoni (54) helped LSG recover from 29/4 and post 158 on the board.