The Gujarat Titans (GT) registered a comprehensive 77-run win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR), and one of the chief architects for their victory last night, especially with the ball in hand, was Rashid Khan. Rashid, through his magnificent bowling display, was awarded the Player of the Match award as well, ahead of Gill, who scored 84. Rashid Khan controlled the middle overs and picked up key wickets as RR had no clue how to play him. He beat them on the front foot and got his rewards.
Rashid Khan came to bowl post the power play and got into his work really well. Some of the damage was done early on as GT had managed to pick up 3 wickets inside the power play, and that really helped Rashid in this big chase for RR. They had to take him on and faltered big time. Rashid Khan, after going through an indifferent run with the ball in hand, has found his mojo back; he, being in form, is dangerous for other teams.
Rashid Khan’s 4-wicket haul flattens RR
After posting 229 on the board thanks to Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan’s special knocks, GT would have hoped for a great start with the ball in hand. After the initial onslaught by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, GT got into the act as they removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shimron Hetmyer inside the first power play. Siraj picked up Vaibhav while Rabada picked up Jaiswal and Hetmyer both inside the power play. The Royals were 3 down inside the power play, making the job easier for Rashid to go through them.
Rashid Khan got into the act in the 8th over as he removed Dhruv Jurel first for 24 off 10 balls as he was looking dangerous out there by cleaning him up neck and crop. In the same over, Donovan Ferreira got a boundary away, but Rashid bounced back and got rid of Ferreira for 4 off 2 balls by cleaning him up again. These two double strikes really hurt the progress of RR in a big way.
Thereafter, Rashid Khan came back and picked up Shubham Dubey by once again cleaning him up for 15 after he got a start. He was not done yet as he now removed the well-set and RR’s best batter of the evening, Ravindra Jadeja, for 38 as he was caught in front LBW. So, if we look at Rashid’s spell, 3 off the 4 dismissals were bowled, and one was LBW. That showed the class of Rashid Khan as he was back to his best, picking up 4/33 in 4 overs and getting the Player of the Match award ahead of captain Shubman Gill.
Rashid Khan’s Performance So Far
After going through an indifferent year last season, Rashid Khan seems to have found his mojo back as he looked to be at his best. Once he is at his best, GT becomes a tough team to beat, and they are now peaking at the right time. Rashid Khan had a good game against PBKS, finishing with 1/32, and was brilliant against RCB, finishing with 2/19. He was only used for one over against CSK and went for 21 runs. He got 2 wickets for 49 runs against RCB in Bengaluru.
Rashid was wicketless against MI in the game they lost, and was 1/44 against KKR in which they won. He did not pick up a wicket against LSG but was at his lethal best against DC in New Delhi, picking up 3/17 and roaring back into form. He picked up 1/39 in the reverse fixture against RR. These performances show that Rashid has not been at his best in all the games, and that is understandable, looking at the pitches that have been prepared so far. But more often than not, he has delivered the goods for GT this season.
With GT on 14 points from 11 games, they look good to reach the playoffs. Rashid’s performances will be important, and how he performs will go a long way in helping GT do well in this tournament. GT fans will be hoping Rashid continues his good run in the coming games.
What Lies AheadÂ
So, GT have climbed to 2nd in the points table while RR have slipped to 5th in the points table. RR will be back in action after a week against DC in New Delhi, while GT hosts SRH in a crucial clash in Ahmedabad. Two huge games coming up on Super Sunday. First up, it’s CSK hosting LSG in Chennai from 3:30 PM IST, while RCB hosts MI in Raipur at 7:30 PM IST. Hope the rain stays away in both the games and we get good games in. ‘
Let us see how things unfold on Sunday and see how the points table shapes up as well.
Also Read:Â RR vs GT: Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan Half Centuries Set Target For RR