NEW DELHI: Former champions Gujarat Titans stormed into the IPL 2025 playoffs in style, registering a dominant 10-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals on Sunday. Skipper Shubman Gill and opener Sai Sudharsan starred with the bat in a flawless run chase, as GT hunted down DC’s target of 200 with six balls to spare.Sudharsan blazed his way to a 61-ball unbeaten 108, while Gill remained unbeaten on a composed 93 off 53 deliveries. The two stitched together a record opening stand and ensured Gujarat’s place in the knockouts with two league matches still to play.“Feels great to get the Q (qualification), but still two important games left. Carrying momentum is important. I’ve talked about being a batter, think as one without worrying about captaincy,” said Gill at the post-match presentation.Reflecting on his captaincy journey, Gill admitted to early struggles in the role but said he has since learned how to handle the pressure.“Found it (captaincy) challenging last year, learnt how to manage it late in the season. Our fielding had been below par, we’d dropped a lot of catches, we reflected on that and worked on it during the break,” he said.Gill also credited his calm approach at the crease to a conscious decision to separate captaincy from batting responsibilities.“When you’re in form, someone like Sai who’s converting starts, you don’t talk much. You just talk about what’s required. When in flow, you just need to make sure you don’t get carried away,” he explained.The enforced break due to military tensions between India and Pakistan, Gill said, gave him a chance to recover physically.“I’d gotten sick, the break helped me recover.”Assistant coach Parthiv Patel praised the openers’ approach and mutual understanding, which he believes have been crucial to GT’s success this season.
“We’ve batted and played really well throughout, going into the playoffs is a reward for how well we’ve done. Openers play low-risk cricket, still they have the ability to hit down the ground and find boundaries.“The fours they hit during the game especially. They know their game, they put a lot of work in strengthening their basics which shows. They communicate well, last year they batted brilliantly.“Opening pair is about chemistry and knowing each other’s games well which they do.”Parthiv also credited head coach Ashish Nehra’s leadership for the team’s consistency and strong standing on the points table.“He’s been fantastic and is the reason why we’re right up there,” he said.
Player of the match Sudharsan, now the leading run-scorer of the season alongside Gill (609 and 594 runs respectively), said staying mentally composed was key to chasing down a daunting total.“We took the game deep, were cool enough mentally and got 2-3 big overs after 12, which worked out. Had taken risks in earlier games which hadn’t worked out. I’ve also started to believe myself more to take the game deeper, expand my game.“Not much has changed with my batting, but mentally I’m more free and expressive. Maybe I can get better at striking against spin and improving my batting after the 15th over.”On his partnership with Gill, Sudharsan highlighted the strong rapport they’ve built over time.“There’s a lot of understanding. We complement each other especially when the other batter is doing well, running is a vital thing too,” he said.
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