“Doesn’t help when you drop 3 catches” - Shubman Gill’s brutal reaction to loss in GT vs MI IPL 2025 Eliminator
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill bluntly stated that the three dropped catches cost them in their IPL 2025 Eliminator defeat to the Mumbai Indians on Friday, May 30, in Mullanpur. Gill underlined that a score of 210 was par on that pitch.
The first drop from the Titans came in the second over sent down by Prasidh Krishna. Gerald Coetzee at fine leg positioned himself under a skyer from Rohit Sharma but couldn't hold on. The second came in the very next over when Kusal Mendis gave Rohit another reprieve after the latter edged behind the stumps. Mendis fluffed his second catch of the innings when Suryakumar Yadav was on 25.
Speaking at the post-game presentation Gill stated, as quoted by Cricbuzz:
"Definitely not easy when we drop three sitters. Wasn't easy for the bowlers to control and doesn't help when you drop three catches."
With Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar stitching together an 84-run stand at a crucial juncture of the chase, the 25-year-old revealed that the message to them was to play with freedom.
"Message was simple (for Sai and Washington). Just play the game you want to play and the goal was the same for both of them to make us win," he said. "Because of the dew, the wicket did become little easier for us. Definitely lot of positives for us. Last 2-3 games didn't go our way but credit to all the players, especially Sai - he was terrific for us this season. 210 would've been par for us on this pitch."
The wicket of Sundar in the 14th over was the turning point for the Titans as their momentum was significantly halted after that. Sudharsan's dismissal on 80 was the final nail in the coffin as Gujarat fell short by 20 runs.
"GT’s strategy was more reactive than proactive" - Robin Uthappa on Shubman Gill's captaincy
Reflecting on the game, former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa opined that Shubman Gill's biggest mistake was bowling Prasidh Krishna in the powerplay when he had bowled so well through the middle overs this season. Uthappa was also critical of GT's fielding, saying on Jio Hotstar:
"GT’s strategy was more reactive than proactive. Using Prasidh in the powerplay – despite his success in middle overs – was a misstep. His first over was expensive, and they failed to course-correct. The 26-run and 22-run overs proved costly. On top of that, their fielding let them down. You can't drop that many catches and expect to win a championship."
With that, the Mumbai Indians have set up a Qualifier 2 showdown with the Punjab Kings on Sunday, June 1.