Gujarat Titans began their chase at a measured pace against the Mumbai Indians on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium, eyeing a modest target of 156. Though the total wasn’t daunting, the pitch wasn’t the easiest to bat on, demanding a degree of caution.
The innings began with some early jitters as Sai Sudharsan, who had enjoyed a near-flawless season so far, finally ran out of luck. He nicked one behind for just five runs off Deepak Chahar, falling early and opening the door for a testing spell against the new ball.
With Sudharsan’s departure, it was up to Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler to steady the innings under the lights, facing a ball that swung threateningly in the early overs. Buttler, in particular, seemed to struggle for fluency, crawling to 14 runs off his first 23 deliveries. Sensing vulnerability, MI skipper Hardik Pandya decided to roll his arm over in the eighth over, hoping to exploit his former teammate’s sluggish rhythm and tip the scales in his team’s favor.
However, what unfolded was quite the opposite. Pandya’s over turned into a dramatic unraveling. After conceding a boundary to Buttler early in the over, he found himself up against a confident Gill. The very next ball, things spiraled—first a wide, then a no-ball, followed by another wide.
Even when he bowled a decent yorker that Gill couldn’t put away, the umpire once again called him for over-stepping. With two free-hits in a row, the pressure was squarely on the MI captain.
Looking to escape the heat, Pandya went for a wide yorker, but missed his mark by a whisker. That’s all Gill needed. The elegant right-hander stepped across his stumps, dropped to one knee, and launched the ball down the ground for a majestic six. It was a shot that symbolized not just dominance, but the ease with which Gill capitalized on Pandya’s unraveling. The over had gone from hopeful to humiliating in a matter of deliveries.
Gill, visibly amused by the string of gifts, couldn’t suppress a chuckle as he regrouped. On the sidelines, Lasith Malinga, Mumbai’s bowling coach, wore a look of growing concern—his apprentice had come undone under pressure.
— samson (@samson8943) May 6, 2025
As expected, social media was quick to jump in, with fans and pundits dissecting the drama, lampooning Pandya’s misfortunes, and reveling in the theatrics that only cricket at the Wankhede can provide.