Gujarat Titans (GT) spinner Sai Kishore spoke about captain Shubman Gill’s strategy of under-utilizing him in the IPL 2024 against Delhi Capitals (DC). Sai Kishore stated that every decision will be taken for the team’s success and added that he should be able to accept it.
The Shubman Gill-led team suffered a 4-run defeat at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, April 24. The visiting team failed to reach the target of 225 runs. It was Gujarat Titans’ second loss against the Rishabh Pant-led team in the ongoing tournament.
The Titans elected to bowl after winning the toss. The home team got off to a strong start but lost three wickets in the powerplay to leave them at 44/3. Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant both scored crucial half-centuries. Sai Kishore bowled the penultimate over and gave away 22 runs.
You would be a little hesitant – Sai Kishore
R Sai Kishore defended the captain’s decision and said that the captain and the coach may have considered alternatives before making their decision.
“You have to put yourself in the shoes of the captain and the coach and know how they will think. If I were leading the team and there was another spinner or another bowler who you thought would have an extra chance of scoring, you might be a bit hesitant.” Sai Kishore said in the post-match press conference.
Sometimes it doesn’t work – Sai Kishore
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer stated that for Ashish Nehra, team success takes precedence over individual ego. Sai Kishore admitted that despite bigger boundaries, the move didn’t work for the team.
“Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work. It also depends on the dimensions of the floor. Let’s say we are playing on a slightly slower wicket with bigger boundaries. In the last game I threw the 19th over the goal with two left-handers…”
“I really felt like it was nothing to worry about. Ashish Nehra makes it a point to not have egos on the side. And every call is accepted for the success of the team, and as a player you should be able to accept it too,” Sai Kishore added.
Delhi Capitals scored 97 runs in the last five overs, marking the second highest run tally during this period in IPL history. Rishabh Pant scored 31 runs in the final over against Mohit Sharma. Sharma achieved an unwanted record as he conceded 73 runs in his four overs.
The Gujarat Titans suffered an early setback with the sacking of captain Shubman Gill. However, Wriddhiman Saha and Sai Sudarshan shared an 82-run partnership for the second wicket. David Miller scored 55 runs in 23 overs, including six boundaries and three sixes, to take the team into the competition.
Sai Kishore (13 off 6) and Rashid Khan (21 off 11) played cameos in the death overs but could not lead the team to victory. The GT team managed to score 220 runs in their 20 overs while losing eight wickets. They are currently in seventh place in the table, having won four of nine games.
Also Read: DC vs MI: Rishabh Pant forced to apologize by Ricky Ponting. (To watch video)