RCB defeat GT by 9 wickets. (PTI)
Chronicle of a wicket foretold
Before the last ball of the first over, wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik yelped at the bowler, Swapnil Singh, “Bada shot aa raha hain, mid-wicket ke upar (A big shot is coming, over mid-wicket). It’s an area Wriddhiman Saha fetishes, and had already struck a four, a flick, just between long-on and deep mid-wicket. The message was perhaps a message to Swapnil to bowl the toss-up ball out-side the off-stump. He did exactly that, drastically reducing the pace. Saha, meanwhile, had premeditated to hit him over extra cover. So he moved to the leg-side to manufacture room, only to find the ball was too far from his body. Nonetheless, he went with the shot, with one, managed only a feeble connection and the ball soared to the short third-man’s palms. Swapnil teed off to hug Karthik, who broke into the satisfied grin of someone whose plan has worked to perfection.
1️⃣st over 🤝 1️⃣st wicket
Success for Swapnil Singh & #RCB early on 🙌
Follow the Match ▶️ https://t.co/SBLf0DonM7#TATAIPL | #GTvRCB pic.twitter.com/5aqZKW12aI
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2024
A six at last
The tournament has been something of a six-hitting festival. As many as 814 maximums were struck before the encounter between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans. But the spectators had to wait for the fifth ball of the eighth over to behold the game’s first six. That is when Sai Sudharsan shoveled Karn Sharma through mid-wicket. Not that there was any lack of intent from the Titans part. Wriddhiman Saha tried, but couldn’t connect, Shubman Gill’s best attempt ended in the swooping palms of Cameron Green. You could argue that Titans do not possess an unbridled hitter like Abhishek Sharma or Jake Fraser-McGurk. But primarily it was down to the asphyxiating lines that RCB bowlers probed. Slower balls and yorkers helped, as did a pitch where the balls sometimes bounced sluggishly. One six, though, brought two others in quick succession, but just three hits over the fence in nine overs seemed an anachronism.
Sai Sudharsan & Shahrukh Khan in counter-attacking mode 🤜🤛
Gujarat Titans 82/2 at the halfway mark 👌👌
Follow the Match ▶️ https://t.co/SBLf0DonM7#TATAIPL | #GTvRCB pic.twitter.com/d4CT4wyVSl
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2024
A Siraj pearler
Mohammed Siraj aborted his SIU celebration midway through the routine. But he was ecstatic after producing a pearler to disarray the stumps of Shahrukh Khan. But there was little doubt he was ecstatic. The seamer has been underwhelming this season, bereft of his usual energy and pace. He has struggled with his lines and has wasted the new-ball.
Perhaps, the Shahrukh wicket would spark a revival. It was undisputedly his best ball of the edition. The ball kept swerving low and sharp into his legs. The batsman would not have expected the movement in the air, but Siraj was extracting reverse swing, helped no doubt by the dryness in the air and the roughness of the outfield. And when it begins to reverse swing, Siraj becomes a lethal proposition. It was not the perfect yorker, but the inward movement sufficed to outfox Shahrukh. The wicket was timely, as Shahrukh was firmly taking the game away from RCB.
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