Hardik Pandya: Rashid’s catch to Mayers was ‘match-changing’

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Hardik Pandya has praised Rashid Khan’s athletic outfield catch to dismiss Kyle Mayers, who broke Lucknow Super Giants’ strong opening stand, as a “match-changing” effort, after Gujarat Titans triumphed by 56 runs at Ahmedabad.
Chasing 228, Mayers had reached 48 off 31 balls in just 8.1 overs in a partnership of 88 with Quinton de Kock. He then hit a square leg top edge off a slower ball from Mohit Sharma. Rashid came sprinting in, running diagonally from the fine leg, then slipped and dove to take the catch to the right after a last minute adjustment.

Super Giants lost momentum after losing to Mayers, scoring only 33 runs between overs 9 and 14, leaving them with too much to do in the last six.

Hardik said Rashid’s capture was the game-changer at a time when his team was under pressure. “The way the game changed after that… at one point, on the eighth or ninth over, we were even-stewarded, but that catch just changed the momentum and we were able to get in some tight overs get,” he said after the game. agreement. “And after that I think they were more after the game than we were.

“We started to control the game. That’s what they were doing [us] up and we had to chase the game and make sure we don’t allow so many runs and let them come into play. So I think that catch was game-changing.”

“I think as a team we were both going 100kph, but I think that bump in their innings cost them the game and put us back in the game.”

Hardik also praised his teammates for delivering a match-winning performance after just one day’s rest. The Titans last game was on Friday night and their game against Super Giants was the afternoon game on Sunday.

“I don’t think I could ask for anything better from the boys,” said Hardik. “Especially after playing after a day break and playing an afternoon game, the boys showed up and how.”

Mohit, who gave Titans that vital first wicket, finished with 4 for 29, his best figures in the IPL since 2014. He has 12 wickets in eight matches in IPL 2023 at an economy rate of 6.96 despite having a lot of his overs bowled at death.

“We keep discussing how to handle it, especially when the ball gets a bit old, how to mix it up,” Mohit told broadcasters after the match. “And if I get the chance with a new ball what can I do with it. Today was a day game so I knew the wicket could get a little drier and be on the slower side so how can we mix it up?” in those circumstances I discuss such things with Shami.

“I’ve been practicing the knuckleball, but I have a slight injury to my fingers, so it doesn’t hold, so I can’t bowl the knuckleball. But I use back-of-the-hand deliveries. When it’s the second innings and there’s a little dew, I can’t throw it up too much, I have to throw it away from the batter, so I try to stay as far away from the batter as I can.

“I keep talking to Ashu Pa [Nehra] off the field. We talk a lot about bowling, what kind of balls I can bowl to different batters. Especially how we can mix the length ball,” said Mohit. “He keeps saying it shouldn’t be too short. It should be around the top.”

The win against Super Giants was Titans eighth win in 11 games, giving them a three-point lead over Chennai Super Kings at the top of the table.

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