3 best knocks from GT in IPL 2024 ft. Shubman Gill
In a hard-fought tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL), it's a massive achievement to win the title in your first attempt. This is exactly what the newly formed Gujarat Titans (GT) did back in 2022. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, GT won the tournament and followed it up with another brilliant performance in 2023, finishing as the runner-up.
In a cliffhanger of a contest last year, Ravindra Jadeja smashed a boundary to complete a historic win for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on the final ball of the match. Ahead of the 17th edition of the tournament, the whole complexion of the team changed, with Hardik Pandya shifting base to the Mumbai Indians.
While Hardik's captaincy might not have benefitted MI, it certainly affected GT's balance in the ongoing season. Despite having all the players in their arsenal, GT were not even a shadow of themselves as they capitulated under pressure situations.
Coming into the final game of the tournament against the Sunrisers Hyderabad which was eventually abandoned due to rain, GT were already out of the playoff race. Even though this was a very tough season for them, there were quite a few notable individual performances through the tournament.
With that, let us have a look at the three best knocks from GT from the 17th edition of the tournament:
#3 Rashid Khan - 24* off 11 balls against Rajasthan Royals
While it may seem that a knock of 24 is significantly less to be included in this list, people who watched the knock would realize the significance. Rajasthan Royals (RR) were on a roll having won three consecutive games to start their campaign.
Even in this particular game, Rajasthan were in the ascendancy for the majority of the match but Rashid Khan had other ideas. Having struggled with the ball, Rashid turned it around with the bat, remaining unbeaten on 24 off just 11 deliveries.
Chasing 197 to win the match, Gujarat were reduced to 157/6 in the 18th over. With 15 runs required off the final over, Rashid smashed three boundaries to take his side over the finish line. The innings displayed the value of Rashid Khan as an all-round player in this format.
#2 Sai Sudharsan - 103 off 51 balls against Chennai Super Kings
Two of the best knocks in the competition came from the opening duo of the Gujarat Titans. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill were at their ominous best in GT's last completed game of the competition and stitched together a massive 210-run partnership to lay the platform for a massive win against the Yellow Army.
Batting first, both Sai and Shubman came out all guns blazing. One of the most graceful and elegant left-handers going around, Sai Sudharsan found the gaps consistently in the powerplay with pure cricketing shots and didn't fail to capitalize on anything loose on offer.
The electrifying strokeplay was backed by equally good strike rotation and the run-fest continued to torment the CSK bowling line-up. Sudharsan's knock of 103 was laced with five fours and seven sixes. On the back of their stunning stand, GT went on to win by 35 runs.
#1 Shubman Gill - 104* off 55 balls against Chennai Super Kings
Shubman, who got a massive opportunity to lead the Gujarat Titans, couldn't quite score the amount of runs he would have liked. After a breakthrough season in 2023, everyone expected Shubman to cash in on the good form but things didn't quite go as well as he would have liked.
However, with nothing to lose, Shubman came out firing on all cylinders against the Chennai Super Kings. He was in complete control from the word go and tried to impose himself on the CSK bowlers. His trademark short-arm pull, cuts and punches were the highlight of the superb innings.
He went on from strength to strength as the innings progressed and went onto complete a staggering century which included nine fours and six sixes. The reaction after scoring his century was an indication that the century meant a lot, especially after not finding a place in the Indian T20 World Cup side.