Another thrilling encounter in the Indian Premier League saw Rajasthan Royals defeat Gujarat Titans by three wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Notably, the visiting team won the toss and decided to bowl first as the Hardik Pandya-led side lost Wriddhiman Saha’s wicket in the very first over. Trent Boult sent Saha back to the pavilion after a dramatic catch in the middle.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill once again played to his merit but his strike rate remains a concern. The opener scored 45 runs off 34 deliveries while Sai Sudharsan (20 runs off 19 deliveries) and Hardik Pandya (28 runs off 19 deliveries) failed to make it big. Nevertheless, David Miller once again rose to the occasion and played some brilliant strokes to help the home side post 177 runs on board after 20 overs. Miller smacked 46 runs off 30 deliveries while Abhinav Manohar supported him well in the middle, scoring 27 runs off 13 deliveries.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan didn’t have a great start with the bat. They lost two quick wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler and things were not looking good for the 2008 champions. Mohammed Shami looked brilliant with the new ball as the veteran put Rajasthan under real pressure. However, skipper Sanju Samson once again bailed his team out of a difficult position, scoring 60 runs off just 32 deliveries.
However, after his dismissal, Rajasthan looked to be under pressure but that’s when West Indies international Shimron Hetmyer changed the complexion of the game. The flamboyant cricketer smashed 56* runs off just 26 deliveries to take the team home. He hit five sixes and two boundaries in the process as the defending champions looked clueless with the ball. Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin too played an important cameo of 10 runs off just three deliveries as Rajasthan won the game with four balls remaining to retain their position at the top of the IPL Points Table. For his game-changing knock, Hetmyer was adjudged Player of the Match.