Ahmedabad: Sai Sudharsan’s classy fifty combined with a collective bowling effort powered Gujarat Titans to a commanding 58-run win over the Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash here on Wednesday.
Sudharsan lit up the evening with a dazzling 53-ball 82, while explosive cameos from Jos Buttler (36), Shahrukh Khan (36), and Rahul Tewatia (24) propelled GT to a formidable 217/6.
The bowlers then kept chipping away, striking at regular intervals to keep Rajasthan on the back foot despite fighting knocks from Shimron Hetmyer (52) and skipper Sanju Samson (41).
Earlier in the innings, B. Sai Sudharsan continued his outstanding run by making a quickfire 82. On a red-soil pitch, Sudharsan entertained everyone in his 53-ball stay at the crease, laced with eight fours and three sixes. He also shared stands of 80 and 62 with Jos Buttler and Shahrukh Khan, who made 36 each.
After electing to bowl first, Jofra Archer was fast and furious in his spell, including even clocking 152.3 kmph. Luckily, Sudharsan got a top edge on the pull before blasting Fazalhaq Farooqi through the square boundary on the off-side for two boundaries. But Archer struck when he got a 148-kmph scorcher to castle Shubman Gill through the gate for two.
Buttler countered Archer’s fire by driving him through cover for four before Sudharsan was at his inventive best in ramping Farooqi and lapping Tushar Deshpande for two sixes.
Buttler’s sublime run continued when he scooped and pulled Farooqi for back-to-back boundaries, before unleashing a backfoot drive and hitting over Maheesh Theekshana’s head for the same result. Sudharsan got his fifty in 32 balls.
With Sudharsan going great, Shahrukh injected some more momentum by taking back-to-back fours off Farooqi, before lofting Deshpande for six. He then pulled Theekshana for six, before getting a brace of boundaries via inside and outside edges. Shahrukh was stumped for 36 by Samson.
The wide line again worked for RR as Sherfane Rutherford gave a thin edge behind off Sandeep Sharma. Sudharsan nicked one behind off Deshpande for 82, after being dropped on 81.
Deshpande struck again on his last ball when Rashid was caught by a diving backward square leg. By then, GT had crossed 200, and Tewatia smacked two fours and a six to ensure GT ended with another strong total.
