One of the main reasons why GT could recover and get past 160 and close to 170 was due to Washington Sundar‘s important knock. Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with his knock, but it was Sundar who drove home the advantage and finished things off with a half-century that helped GT post almost 170. Washington Sundar batted at 5 for GT last night and forged crucial partnerships first with Sai Sudharsan and then Jason Holder to push the score past 160. He walked in at the 10th over and fell in the end with one ball left.
It was a tricky, challenging pitch in Ahmedabad last night. The batters of both sides generally struggled on it. But the only person who did not struggle at all was Washington Sundar. Sai, too, at one point, was going to run a ball or less than that. Washington Sundar looked a class apart as he played the middle phase and then the end overs as well, falling with one ball to go in the innings. His innings gave GT the momentum that they carried into the second innings
Washington Sundar’s brutal knock rescues GT to post a competitive total on the board
When GT came out to bat after losing the toss, it was not all smooth sailing for the home side and 2022 champions. They lost Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler early inside the power play. Nishant Sindhu, after playing a cameo, fell as well. GT needed a player to stabilise the innings, and while Sai Sudharsan was holding one end up and doing his bit for his side, he was running out of partners, or so it seemed at this stage of the game. Washington Sundar came out to bat at 5 with the score at 64/3 in 9.3 overs, with GT not out of the woods yet.
Sundar came in and assessed the conditions nicely and then played his shots. Sai needed support, and he found an able ally in Sundar now. The duo brought things back on track for the host with a 60-run stand as Sai completed his fifty. The 60-run stand brought the game back in the balance as SRH were in control for the first part of the game. Sai fell with about 3.4 overs to go, but Sundar carried on and built another 40-run stand with Jason Holder in which Sundar did all of the scoring.
Holder went after a run, but Sundar was terrific and went all guns blazing. It was due to Sundar’s efforts in the end overs that GT got past 160, and though he fell with one ball to go, the damage was done with the score reaching 168/5, a competitive score on the board for GT. They eventually won the contest by 82 runs.
Washington Sundar is an underrated gem for GT
While all the focus has been on the top 3 of the Gujarat Titans (GT) and rightly so, one cannot hide and separate from the fact that the role Washington Sundar is playing for GT down the order. Washington Sundar is acting as a stabiliser and sometimes an aggressive batter as well, depending on the situation of the match. Washington Sundar has been acting as the missing link, and from the time he started to perform, he looks like a class act, and the team looks stronger. His contributions have been meaningful.
He hardly bowls nowadays and plays as a pure batter in the IPL. Sundar has made meaningful contributions this season. He scored an important 55 off 32 balls against DC and followed that up with an unbeaten 21 off 13 balls against LSG. He scored a run a ball 13 off 13 balls against KKR. He scored 26 off 17 balls in a losing cause against MI. He scored an unbeaten 19 off 12 balls against RCB, while against CSK, he was unbeaten with 1 off 1 ball. He scored a run ball 12 against RCB in Ahmedabad.
He played a significant knock of 40* off 23 balls against PBKS in Ahmedabad, taking his side over the line in a tense chase. He scored an unbeaten 37 off 20 balls against RR, and then last night, he scored 50 off 33 balls against SRH. So, it can be seen that Sundar has played some useful knocks batting in the middle order, which is a bit fragile for them. The hope from all GT fans will be that Sundar continues to contribute to the team’s cause the way he has been doing it so far this season, as GT looks forward to the playoffs.
What Lies Ahead
So, the Gujarat Titans are almost through to the playoffs. They will next face KKR on Saturday evening at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, while SRH will face CSK on Monday night in Chennai. Tonight, we have defending champions RCB taking on KKR in a crucial clash in Raipur, where both teams need a win for different reasons. Let’s see who comes out on top in this clash tonight.
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