FEATURES
Follow Us35 off 12.
Gujarat Titans are chasing 197.
Only a few games earlier in the season, they lost by 63 runs against Chennai Super Kings, chasing a mammoth target. In the last two seasons, though, they have only lost two matches while chasing over 180.
But Rajasthan Royals are unbeaten at home this year. They have a solid record, and with a bowling unit like the one they have, they are quite confident of pulling yet another win at home.
Kuldeep Sen is in stellar form, playing his first game of the season with three crucial wickets. He is breathing fire. Neither Rashid Khan (2 off 2) nor Rahul Tewatia (11 off 7) are quite warmed up at this point.
Immediately, Kuldeep nails the yorker. It seems like the game is quickly getting away from the hands of the Titans. But then Rahul Tewatia smacks a boundary, bringing the equation to 29 off 10.
A tough equation but impossible? Not when Tewatia is on strike. Not when Rashid is warming up.
28 off 9.
The equation is quickly shifting away from the Titans. But then comes a mistake, a no-ball from Kuldeep, which goes for a boundary too. A free hit beckons, and he gets a double to bring the equation down to 21 off 8.
Kuldeep follows it up with a wide before leg-byes brings the equation down to 19 off 7. On the last ball of the over, with 19 needed, Tewatia picks the bone out of a slower short ball to bring the equation down to 15 from the last over.
After conceding only 22 in his first three overs, Kuldeep concedes 20 runs in the penultimate over. Talk about pressure; it does funny things.
15 off 6
Avesh Khan has been tasked with defending a low score.
His form till now has been top-notch, conceding just 6 (against LSG), 4 (against DC), 9 (against MI) before conceding 14 runs off his final over against RCB. Even his worst wouldn’t be enough for Gujarat to seal a famous win here.
But up against him is Rashid and his snake shot. Avesh errs in his line and length, and Rashid ensures that 'bad' turns 'worse' with a four.
11 off 5 now.
Avesh finally nails the yorker. Nine off four, it is finally down to single digits.
The 27-year-old bowls it wide, and Rashid edges this one past the diving keeper. Gujarat’s dugout is up in joy. The home crowd has now gone silent.
There is only pin-drop silence. But in Gujarat’s camp, it is cock-a-hoop.
4 off 2, the equation hasn’t ever been this easy for Gujarat the entire night. It is Gujarat’s time to bask in glory.
Slower ball, outside off, and Tewatia tries to punch that ball to the boundary. But in the process, he can only get a portion of his bat on the ball, not the cleanest of connections. They pinch two and run for a third, but what has happened here?
Tewatia isn’t the quickest of runners, and he is run-out, well short of his crease. Which brings the equation down to 2 off 1.
One ball, two runs, Rashid is in the middle of all the chaos here. He knows how to win games with the bat. He has done it plenty of times in the past. But to beat Rajasthan here will be one of the biggest heists in Titan’s IPL history. And they've had a fair few in these last two years.
Avesh stands in the middle of the pursuit.
One good ball and he can be a hero. One bad one, all headlines will be against him.
Avesh delivers it right in Rashid’s slot, and he doesn’t miss it. A scintillating four, a historic win - snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat.
There’s something about Gujarat and chasing totals, a bit of a professional killer nature in the way they finish teams off after giving them a ray of hope. Make it 6-2.
Play Asli Fantasy on Cricket.com. Download the App Now.
