Follow UsGujarat Titans went down agonisingly in the summit clash of the Indian Premier League as Ravindra Jadeja scored 10 runs off two deliveries in the final over to power Chennai over the line in a rain-curtailed game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
After being asked to bat first, the home team were powered to 214 runs in the first innings courtesy off a brilliant knock by Sai Sudharsan. The southpaw scored 96 off 47 deliveries, studded with six boundaries and eight massive sixes to propel the team to a formidable total.
"I am very happy and grateful that I could contribute to the team but a bit sad that we could not end up on the winning side. In the last game, I realised I was a little bit under pressure but realised that being calmer is a lot better and backed my ability," he said in the post-match press conference.
"I am learning a lot from Shubman, and he is playing at his best in the tournament. When Shubman got out, it was all about taking the game a little deeper and keeping a check on the scoreboard as well. I was trying to take my chances and take the game deep as well."
"I worked a lot more on the mental aspect, how to get ready, how to be aware or how to decide what to do in that situation. I have worked on that a little bit and obviously in the skill part as well," he added.
Vikram Solanki, the Director of Cricket for the Titans, credited his team for the fight and congratulated Chennai for holding their nerve in the pressure situation and emerging as champions.
"The curtailed match may have made a difference, but I'm not going to take anything away from CSK. They were the champions, and they deserve to be the champions. We did all we could, and we took the game to the absolute last ball."
"The game kept shifting in the second innings. We were quite outstanding with the bat whether the conditions changed or not, that's a conversation you can keep having, but I'm not going to take anything away from what the side has achieved."
"We can be very proud of what we have been able to achieve this year as a team, and we have played consistent cricket that has helped us top the table and come this close in the tournament," he added.
One of the reasons why the Titans struggled to defend 171 runs in 15 overs was the performance of their ace spinner, Rashid Khan. The leg spinner conceded 44 runs in three overs without scalping any wickets, which led to their downfall.
Despite a bad outing, Solanki backed the Afghan spinner to bounce back and credited him for his immense contribution to the success of the Titans since their inception.
"Today's performance was certainly not Rashid's best, but sometimes that happens in sports. He is a wonderful team member and an outstanding team cricketer. He has played a huge part in the last two seasons that we have had and helped us in reaching the finals," he concluded.