"It's all about holding your nerves" - Shubman Gill delighted after beating Mumbai Indians

The Shubman Gill & Co. defeated the Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 5th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24.

The match was an intense one and the home team held their nerves to snatch a victory from the jaws of the defeat. They won the match by 6 runs to start their campaign with a stunning victory over the 5-time champions.

While batting first in the match, Gujarat Titans posted a decent total of 168/6 on the board. The main reason behind GT not being able to score big was the premier Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who bagged a three-wicket haul and gave away just 14 runs in his 4-over quota.

Chasing the target, Rohit Sharma and Dewald Brevis set the tone for the win but the GT bowlers did an absolutely wonderful job in the death overs and restricted the Mumbai. The veteran pacers Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav played a massive role in GT’s win.

After winning his first-ever match as the captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Shubman Gill was delighted, and speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, he showered high praise on his players for showing great character under pressure against the 5-time champions. Shubman Gill said:

“The way the boys held their nerves with dew coming in, it was outstanding. The way our spinners bowled made sure we are always in the game. It’s all about holding your nerves.”

Shubman Gill was quite impressed with the performance of the top-order batter Sai Sudharsan and said that he has been a revelation for the franchise. Shubman Gill further said:

“He (Sai Sudharsan) has been a revelation for us. We just wanted to build on the pressure and wait for them to make mistakes. The crowd is one thing, have always come whether it is a day game or a night game and shout out to all the fans who have come here to support us. I thought that was a good score, but we definitely left at least 15 runs there, it was hard to hit those short balls as the wicket got a bit slow towards the end.”

After winning praise from Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan says “I am just taking it as an extra opportunity to try and win a game for my team”

Sai Sudharsan scored 45 runs off 39 balls, including 3 fours and 1 six, and played a key role in Gujarat Titans’ victory in the tournament opener. He was also awarded Player of the Match for his heroics.

Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Sai Sudharsan said that batting in the first innings was quite difficult when compared the second innings. He explained:

“I feel even in the first innings it was slightly difficult and second innings because of the dew they were able to play a few shots, but we pulled off a great game today.”

Sai Sudharsan added that he is trying to give his best for the Gujarat Titans (GT) and help them win matches in the league. The young batter also expressed his surprise over receiving the Player of the Match award. He stated:

“I am just taking it as an extra opportunity to try and win a game for my team. After a few balls, I felt this is that kind of a wicket where you can go hard everywhere and wanted to build on the momentum. Too many great contributions in the second innings and I am actually shocked to be receiving this award. As a batter, I found it tough when they took the pace off and our bowlers executed really well today.”