Middle order duo Tewatia-Rashid’s fightback gets GT a 5-wicket win

Mumbai, April 27: Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan’s last-over heroics guided Gujarat Titans to a five-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 IPL match here at Wankhede stadium on Wednesday. With 22 runs needed off the final over, Tewatia (40 not out off 21) sent the first ball into the stands for a maximum before taking a single in the next. Rashid (31 not out off 11), too, didn’t step back and tanked Marco Jansen back over the head. The South African returned well with a dot ball but Rashid was in no mood to stop. The Afghanistan cricketer then whacked two back-to-back sixes to take Titans home, thus, Umran Malik’s five-wicket haul went into vain. Titans got off to a flying start, with Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill putting 69 runs for the opening stand. The wicketkeeper-batter Saha spared no SRH bowler and kept on cleaning the rope. Umran broke the opening partnership in the eighth over as he bowled Gill for 22. The fast bowler then got the big wicket of skipper Hardik Pandya (10) to break the backbone of Titans. The 22-year-old Umran sent Saha packing for 68, thus ending the GT opener’s onslaught in the 14th over. Saha’s 38-ball innings were decorated with 11 boundaries and one maximum. The Jammu and Kashmir-born bowler then rattled the middle-order to complete his five-fer but in a losing cause. Umran hit the bullseye to dismiss David Miller (17), who was dropped on 13 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar on a return catch, and removed Abhinav Manohar for a golden duck. Earlier in the day, fifties by Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram, and Shashank Singh’s quickfire 25 not out off 6 helped Sunrisers to post 195/6. SRH lost two early wickets in the powerplay. Fast bowler Mohammed Shami struck twice, removing SRH skipper Kane Williamson (5) and Rahul Tripathi (16). However, Abhishek found the right support in Markram and the duo not only got into the rebuilding act but stitched a solid 96-run partnership for the third wicket. Along the way, the SRH opener Abhishek registered his fifty off 33 balls when he smashed a maximum off Rashid. It was Alzarri Joseph who got the much-needed breakthrough. In the 16th over, on a slower ball, Joseph cleaned up Abhishek for 65. Soon, Markram too fell after completing his half-century off 35 balls. On a slower ball by Yash Dayal, the South African miscued and departed for 56, leaving SRH on 161/5. Towards the end, Shashank’s 6-ball 25 not out, which included three consecutive sixes in the final over off Lockie Ferguson, helped Sunrisers to finish with a strong total. For Titans, Shami picked three wickets, while Dayal and Joseph got apiece. Rashid (0/45) and Ferguson (0/52), who both remained wicketless, returned as the most expensive bowlers. (UNI)