Cricket | T20 | IPL | IPL 2022 | Gujarat Titans
At the end of IPL Auction 2022, I too like other cricket pundits started writing down the best XIs for every IPL team. When I came to the Gujarat Titans squad, I asked myself, "Is Gujarat Titans a good team?" That is when a few thoughts crept up in my mind. Who was going to bat at 3? Will Hardik Pandya be forced to bat out of position? Are Rahul Tewatia and David Miller good enough to take them over the finish line every time? They have got Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan, but what after them? Like many, I too discounted the team from 2022 IPL Playoffs contention and focused on stronger looking teams. But today, I stand corrected.
Hemant Brar summed up Gujarat Titans' campaign quite nicely for me:"If Tewatia won't, David Miller will. If Miller won't, Rashid Khan will. If Rashid won't, someone else surely will." That's been the story for the Gujarat Titans this season. They have found different matchwinners with every match: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Yash Dayal. The conclusion of IPL Auction 2022 brought forward many issues within the Gujarat Titans squad. Their batting looked bleak, heavily dependent on the talented yet unproven Shubman Gill and the injury-prone Hardik Pandya. There was also an absence of quality all-rounders. While the trio of Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan gave a nice look to the bowling, the rest of the options didn't impart much confidence. Many cricket experts failed to believe that the team could make the 2022 IPL Playoffs. Add to all of this Hardik Pandya's appointment as Gujarat Titans captain, his first in IPL, things did not look promising for the Gujarat Titans.
When Rahul Tewatia was bought for a massive amount of 9 Cr in IPL Auction 2022, many people questioned his ability to provide value for money. It is safe to say that he has proven them wrong, smashing his way to 215 runs at a strike rate of 149.30. Who can forget his last-over heroics against the Punjab Kings? Needing 12 off the last two deliveries, he lauched Odean Smith onto the leg-side twice to complete an astonishing chase. Then there were a couple of 40s against RCB and SRH, once again while chasing. The fact that he managed to score against the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel and T Natarajan shows his temperament and hitting ability. With Hardik Pandya taking up the number four slot, Tewatia has stepped up to don the finisher's role and has formed an effective partnership with David Miller.
David Miller had struggled to re-enact his initial success with the Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) until IPL 2022. He seems to have found his mojo back as he is striking at over 145. Coming in to bat at 16/3 against the Super Kings, he stepped up in skipper Pandya's absence and took Titans to victory off the penultimate ball. He ended the night on 94 not out. This was only his second 60-plus score in IPL from 2016. He led a brilliant assault on the CSK bowlers along with Rashid Khan and rightfully grabbed the Player of the Match award. He has played a number of impactful innings in IPL 2022. When Hardik Pandya decided to bat at number four, people wondered who was going to provide that late-overs boost to their score. David Miller and Rahul Tewatia put their hands up with some excellent cricket.
It is always a priviledge to have a new-ball specialist bowler in your arsenal in T20 cricket. People like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult and Umesh Yadav have showed time and time again that a 3-over spell at the top can win you T20 cricket matches. Mohammed Shami has been that powerplay-enforcer for Gujarat Titans with 11 wickets in that phase so far. His spell against the LSG (mentioned above) halted their famed top order with Test cricket lengths. Then there was his 2/20 against KKR at Wankhede Stadium that set the platform for a successful defence of 156 runs. When Gujarat Titans met LSG for the second time, Shami bowled an economical spell of 3-0-5-1 upfront with the wicket of the opposition's best batter, KL Rahul. With performances like this, Mohammed Shami has provided Hardik Pandya with a both economical and wicket-taking option up top.
While Rashid Khan has been thrashed this IPL season a couple of times, he has made up for it with his batting performances. He already has a 40(21) and a 31*(11) to his name, helping his team win from improbable situations. Cricket analysts have been unable to decode how he manages so much power with such minimal bat-swing. He's not that big a fella, is he? Anyway, all this talk about his batting has pushed his primary skill under the radar. He is their second-best bowler with 15 wickets at under seven an over. Some of his figures this IPL season read 3/22, 2/22, 2/24 and 4/24. Economy check. Wickets check. That's Rashid Khan for you. Everybody wants to know how to bowl like Rashid Khan. But there is only one Rashid Khan. And don't forget he also captained against CSK when Hardik Pandya was injured.
"We have been given positive energy from the captain, and especially the head coach Ashish bhai, I think he has kept the team in a beautiful environment. It's all about having good memories outside of the ground and then just focus on the game. We're enjoying each other's company and give 100% to enjoy the game. I'm so happy to be a part of this......." ~Rashid Khan, via Star Sports(IPL official broadcasters)
If you think Shubman Gill can't score quickly, check these innings out: 96 off 59 vs PBKS and 84 off 46 vs DC. Proper cricket shots. Those jabs, cuts and pulls were a treat to watch. Initially I was not sure if he is worth 8 Cr in T20 cricket, especially in a league as tough as the IPL, but he has won them three games, hasn't he? The latest being his masterful 63* against LSG on a difficult pitch. He held one end up and took Gujarat Titans to 144, which proved to be more than enough in the end. No other batter was able to cross 27. This part of his cricket skills can prove to be a huge asset for Gujarat Titans with the pitches slowing and wearing down. His ability to manoeuvre strike and hit through the line has made him one of the players to watch out for in the 2022 IPL Playoffs.
Hardik Pandya at number four? Eh..........what if he gets out early? Does he have the technique? I have believed for a long time that Hardik Pandya can make the Indian national cricket team as a batter alone. Put his bowling skills into the mix, he becomes irreplacable, fitness provided. He has played like a proper top order batter in IPL 2022 (at times promoting himself to one-down) with 344 runs and three half-centuries. He even held the Orange Cap at one point of time. He has been so good at the position that it is being suggested that India play Hardik at 4. He also was the team's designated new-ball bowler along with Mohammed Shami before being injured. He recently started bowling again and comfortably touched 140 clicks, thereby eliminating questions like "Can Hardik Pandya bowl now?" and "Who can replace Hardik Pandya?"
Some of the underrated performers for Gujarat Titans have been Wriddhiman Saha, Lockie Ferguson and Yash Dayal. Replacing Matthew Wade at the top, Wriddhiman Saha has played his role to perfection providing quick starts to his team. He already has scores of 68(38) and 55(40) along with other quick cameos. Lockie Ferguson too has been brilliant with his four wickets against DC and three against RR. He was particularly instrumental in the win against DC, accounting for Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant at important junctures of the game. Yash Dayal has played only five matches this IPL but has managed to scalp nine wickets. He has provided ideal support to the proven names in Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rashid Khan.
"Hardik is always giving us confidence to play the game that we want to play and it's nice to have a captain who trusts your skills." ~Ferguson, via Star Sports(IPL official broadcasters)
If we have a look at Gujarat Titans' campaign this year, they have had seven different players get Man of the Match awards in their nine wins. They may not have 600-run players like Jos Buttler and David Warner. Nor do they have bowlers taking 20 wickets or more. But what has worked for them is the fact that when their players have struck, they have gone on to win the match almost single-handedly. Be it Shubman Gill's 96, David Miller's 94* or Mohammed Shami's 3/25. They have admirably covered up their team's defects in all departments. I agree that luck has been a factor for Gujarat Titans' success in IPL 2022, but what has made the difference is the dressing room environment and role clarity I believe. Their players have said a number of times how they are backed by their captain and the coach. Each cricketer has been given a specific roles and been backed completely to execute it without worrying about their place in the team.
"My motto was I wanted everyone to be happy." ~Hardik, via Star Sports(official IPL broadcasters)
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