‘One of the best catches I’ve seen’ – Virat Kohli impressed with Rashid Khan’s stunning grab to draw curtains on Kyle Mayers’ quickfire knock

Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

Following a strong start in the mammoth run chase, Gujarat Titans (GT) got the crucial wicket of Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) explosive hitter, Kyle Mayers, courtesy of a stunning catch by Rashid Khan. Impressed with the brilliant catch, flamboyant RCB batter, Virat Kohli, took to his social media to laud the Afghan spinner.

Notably, the defending champions got 227 runs on the board in the first innings, thanks to blistering knocks by Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill.

In reply, LSG required a solid start to their innings in order to stay on course to chase down the humongous total. Quinton de Kock, who donned the LSG outfit for the first time this season, opened with the explosive batter, Kyle Mayers.

The pair swiftly hit the ground running and raised a 50-run stand off 24 balls and concluded with 72 runs in the powerplay (first six overs). However, the Titans got the required breakthrough in the form of Mayers’ wicket for 48 runs off 32 balls which featured seven boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 150.00.

In the second ball of the ninth over, seasoned pacer Mohit Sharma bowled a slower bouncer upon which Mayers got a top edge while attempting the pull shot. Rashid Khan came cruising 26 meters from deep fine, lost control while running and slid but eventually took a stunning grab to send Mayers packing. In doing so, Kohli took to his social media to laud Rashid’s impressive attempt to take the catch.

“One of the best catches I’ve ever seen. Brilliant Rashid Khan,” captioned Kohli on his Instagram story.

Saha, Gill take LSG by storm in the first innings

Upon winning the toss, Krunal Pandya decided to field first. However, what followed was seasoned batters, Wriddhiman Saha, and Shubman Gill played blazing knocks to take the visiting team by storm at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

While Saha scored 82 runs off 43 balls which included four sixes and ten fours at a strike rate of 188.37, Gill on the other hand clobbered seven maximums and two fours in his unbeaten 51-ball 94 knock. In addition to this, the pair added a 100-run stand for the first wicket which kept the Titans in a commanding position in the contest. Meanwhile, Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan were the only two bowlers with a scalp each.