With a crushing victory over RR, GT go one step closer to the playoffs. At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, GT defeated RR by nine wickets thanks to a superb bowling effort. Rajasthan was dismissed for just 118 in 17.5 overs, while Gujarat concluded with 119/1 in 13.5 overs to take the lead in the standings by three points.
RR found themselves in a promising position at 47/1 in five overs. But after that, it was just GT. RR lost all of their middle order for a total of 36 runs in seven overs, falling from 60/2 to 96/8.
It all began when Jos Buttler was quickly dismissed. When the English opener is at his best, RR seem like a completely different animal. He far outpaced KL Rahul, who finished second in the tournament last year, in terms of runs scored, and he started this season with three half-centuries in as many innings.
But in the six innings he’s played since, he’s only managed 93 runs and two ducks. He hit two successive boundaries off Hardik Pandya on Friday before being caught at short third the following ball.
After a mix-up with Samson that left the in-form Jaiswal run-out, GT realised they had a great opening. Anyone who has followed Samson’s career would recognise the second part of his dismissal: some brilliant strokes followed by the gentlest of dismissals.
Rajasthan lost three of their top players just 41 balls into the game. The Afghan duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad’s period, which served as the competition’s high point, was just about to start.
R Ashwin, who was moved up to No. 5, was defeated twice before being dispatched by a leg-spinner from Rashid Khan. A stunning setup led to a horrifying killer blow. A delivery that spun the other way imprisoned Riyan Parag, who was in second place, in front.
Batters offered defensive shots and were duped on five of the six wickets taken by Khan (3/14) and Ahmad (2/25) respectively. The locals put on a remarkable display of spin bowling.
The only option with the ball for RR was to go for wickets since the ground didn’t actually contain any demons. For them to have any chance, they needed early strikes, but sadly for the home crowd, that didn’t happen.
Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha put on a 71-run opening partnership by routinely hitting boundaries. Gill was stumped by Yuzvendra Chahal in the tenth over, but GT went on to win with 37 balls remaining thanks to Pandya’s three sixes and a four off Adam Zampa in the next over.
