Hardik Pandya top-scored with a 50-ball 66 but slow batting in the middle overs meant that Gujarat Titans could post only a modest 135 for six against Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL match here on Saturday.
After Wriddhiman Saha scored 47 off 37 balls, Hardik couldn’t get going for the most part of his innings although he somewhat made up for the slow batting with some big hits in the end.
Hardik managed to score only 9 runs from his first 15 balls with a strike rate of just 60, and in the fifteen balls, scored 20 runs with a strike rate of 133.33. He then was slowed down, scoring just 12 runs in the next 12 balls, but finished his innings off with a strike rate of 312.5.
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With the pitch a tad slow and aiding the spinners, stroke-making was difficult and Krunal Pandya emerged Lucknow’s best bowler as he snapped two wickets, giving away just 16 runs after coming to bowl in the second over.
Krunal drew first blood, dismissing Shubhman Gill for a duck in just his second delivery with the opener holing out to Ravi Bishnoi at long-off.
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Hardik, who promoted himself to No. 3, found the going tough initially but finally broke free, sending Bishnoi across extra cover to bring up the 50-run partnership and then depositing him over long-off as the 9th over yielded 14 runs.
After 12 for 1 in his first three overs, Krunal returned to deceive a well-set Saha with his flight and the opener was caught by Deepak Hooda.
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Soon it was 77 for 3 as Amit Mishra set up Abhinav Manohar (3) with a loopy ball outside off and Naveen-ul-Haq took a stunning catch at deep cover with a full stretch dive.
Pandya and newman Vijay Shankar couldn’t push the score and Naveen-ul-Haq returned to clean up the latter as GT reached 92 for 4 in 15 overs.
The 16th and 17th overs slowed down the Titans but with Mishra subbed out, Bishnoi bowled the 18th and Pandya slammed two sixes and a four to bring up his fifty in 44 balls. The over yielded 19 runs.
Naveen-ul-Haq bowled another good over as David Miller just couldn’t get going.
Hardik clubbed Stoinis for a maximum before holing out to KL Rahul.
After the end of the innings, Krunal said that he had told his brother Hardik exactly what not to do.
“We were pulling our legs a bit. He told me before the game that I will go after you, I told him that the last time he went after me, I got him out so don’t repeat the mistake," Krunal said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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