On Thursday, Gujarat Titans dominated the first innings of their match against Punjab Kings at Mohali by limiting the hosts to a score of 94/4 after 13 overs. Although the initial breakthroughs were made by the new ball bowlers, the team’s successful dismissal of the dangerous Jitesh Sharma was attributed to Hardik Pandya’s impressive captaincy and Wriddhiman Saha’s quick thinking.
During the over of returning right-arm fast bowler Mohit Sharma, he delivered a ball at length on fourth stump. Jitesh Sharma tried to play a back foot punch, but the ball narrowly missed his bat. However, Saha raised both his hands in appeal, surprising everyone.
Although no one else was convinced, a passionate Pandya decided to support Saha’s judgement and opt for the DRS review. Despite the counter showing 0, the replays confirmed that Jitesh Sharma was indeed out, boosting the team’s position with a vital wicket.
PBKS fell short of their expected total by at least 20 runs despite having a good pitch and a fast outfield. Credit must be given to GT for their excellent bowling performance. Shami set the tone with an early wicket, while Little got Dhawan.
Matt Short was a threat to GT’s bowling attack, but he was deceived by a googly from Rashid Khan. Bhanuka Rajapaksa struggled with his innings, which slowed down PBKS’s momentum. Mohit Sharma played his first game of the season and delivered an economical spell in the middle overs, choking the innings with his tight line and length.
Jitesh and Sam Curran also struggled to increase their strike-rate, allowing GT to dominate during that period. Thanks to SRK’s cameo, PBKS reached a total of 153. Mohit and Rashid were the standout bowlers for GT.