 "Gill and Sai Sudharsan slam tons as GT defeat CSK to keep faint IPL playoff hopes alive")
Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan slammed centuries and forged a mammoth 210-run opening partnership to power their team to a 35-run victory over defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday.
Gill smashed his way to a fourth IPL ton while Sai Sudharsan brought up the three-figure mark for the first time in the league. Later pacer Mohit Sharma starred with the ball, collecting 3/31 as the Titans kept their faint playoff hopes alive while moving out of the bottom of the 10-team table with a morale-boosting win against CSK.
Sudharsan (103 off 51 balls) matched skipper Gill (104 off 55 deliveries) stroke for stroke as the two openers notched up destructive centuries to propel GT to 231/3. The home team’s bowlers then stopped the defending champions for 196/8 despite fighting fifties from Daryl Mitchell (63) and Moeen Ali (56).
Sent into bat, Gill and Sudharsan put up a six-hitting exhibition as they notched up a 210-run stand, the highest partnership for any wicket in the IPL this season.
The two also equalled Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul’s highest-ever IPL opening partnership.
While Gill’s remarkable innings was punctuated by nine fours and six maximums, Sudharsan’s maiden IPL hundred was peppered with five boundaries and seven sixes.
A century of tons in the #TATAIPL 💯
— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) May 10, 2024
The Prince shines yet again 👑#IPLonJioCinema #GTvCSK #ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/FDep6ooF73
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIn contrast, the CSK openers were back in the hut with just two runs on the board. Their best batter this season, skipper Rituraj Gaikwad (0) was also sent packing with Rashid Khan completing a brilliant catch on the boundary with the defending champions reeling at 10/3.
Mitchell and Moeen steadied the ship with some counter attacking play, stitching a 109-run partnership. The two targeted the Afghan spin duo of Rashid and Noor Ahmad.
While Moeen clobbered three sixes on the trot off Noor in the 11th over, Mitchel hit a boundary and a six in the next over off Rashid to bring down the equation to 113 runs off the last 48 balls.
But veteran Mohit struck off his very first ball, dismissing Mitchell and then came back to take the scalps of Moeen and Shivam Dube (21).
Rashid soon joined the party, getting rid of Ravindra Jadeja (18) and Mitchell Santner (0).
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26 not out) got the fans excited with three sixes, including back-to-back maximums in the last over but it was in a lost cause.
The win lifted GT from the bottom of the table to the eighth spot. They have 10 points from 12 games.
While CSK remain on fourth with 12 points, their net run rate took a hit, dropping from +0.700 to +0.491.
Earlier invited to bat first, Gill timed to perfection an over pitched delivery from Santner for GT’s first boundary of the innings. He then lofted the ball over mid on for a maximum, setting the tone of the game.
Gill’s lazy elegance was on full display as he hit an effortless six off a Simarjeet Singh delivery over long on into the stands in the sixth over.
At the other end, after a relatively slow start, Sudarsan, who was elevated to the role of an opener, too accelerated. He went down on his knees to hit a slog sweep off star spinner Jadeja to get his fifty in 32-balls.
A couple of overs later, Gill too reached his half-century with a top edge that went the distance.
The CSK bowlers, barring Shardul Thakur (0/25), who was the most economical, could do little to stop the onslaught by Gill and Sudharsan.
That memorable moment 😍
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 10, 2024
Sai Sudharsan goes back for a scintillating knock but not before thoroughly entertaining the crowd 👏💯
Watch the match LIVE on @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia 💻📱#TATAIPL | #GTvCSK pic.twitter.com/VRF5VGDiVg
CSK’s effort in the field was also found wanting, besides general sloppiness, the defending champions, dropped Gill at the boundary.
Tushar Deshpande (2/33) misjudged a miss-hit by Gill and dropped the GT skipper on 72. To add salt to the wounds, not only the dropped catch went for a six, the Daryl Mitchell over yielded 19 runs.
Gill soon brought up his fourth IPL hundred by sending a Simarjeet full toss through square leg for four. It was the 100th ton in the history of the IPL and the youngster celebrated rather animatedly.
Sudharsan followed his skipper as he sent a length ball soaring over the fence to bring up his first-ever IPL hundred in style.
CSK bowlers then managed to stage a comeback as they gave just 41 runs in the last five overs. Deshpande picked up the wickets of Sudharsan and Gill.
With PTI inputs
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