Ahmedabad, May 3 After suffering a narrow five-run loss to Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans' opener Shubman Gill had no qualms in admitting that not having any significant partnerships at the top of the order resulted in the defending champions ending up on the losing side.
Chasing 121 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Gujarat were reduced to 32/4 in 6.4 overs. Despite a 62-run stand for the fifth wicket between Abhinav Manohar and captain Hardik Pandya along with Rahul Tewatia hitting three sixes in the 19th over, Gujarat were unable to get over the line.
"We lost only by five runs, and it is mainly because there were no significant partnerships at the top of the order. The odd ball was stopping and coming onto the bat, and their spinners bowled really well on this wicket to control the game. It was difficult for us to hit boundaries," said Gill in the post-match press conference.
Gill made only six runs with the bat before falling to Anrich Nortje. Asked about the pitch, which gave a plethora of assistance to fast bowlers, the opener conceded the wicket was tough to bat, but it wasn't in the unplayable zone.
"The wicket was a bit difficult to bat on, and I felt we bowled really well in the first innings to take early wickets. I think with the bat, we couldn't really stitch any partnerships at the top, which resulted in a lot of pressure on the lower order," he said.
"In a low-scoring game, when there is too much pressure after a poor start, you try to take it deep and leave it to the last over. It was a tough wicket but not unplayable," he added.
While appreciating Delhi's bowling in the last five overs, Gill also came in defence of Hardik, who took the anchor role in the chase and remained unbeaten on 59 off 53 balls. But he couldn't lead Gujarat home in the chase, especially failing to hit a single boundary in the last thirteen balls he faced.
"I think at that moment, if one of Hardik or Manohar would have gotten out, it would have been even more difficult for us. As a player and as a batsman, we are all bound to have one off day. It was just one of those off days. But he did back himself to get those runs," Gill said.
"We should give credit to Delhi for the way they bowled because I feel they executed their yorkers pretty well and made it difficult for us to hit boundaries in the back end," he added.
Gujarat will now travel to Jaipur for their next IPL 2023 match against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Friday.
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