Gujarat Titans

Virender Sehwag Schools ‘Lucky’ Shubman Gill, Triggers Another ‘Strike-Rate Debate’

Danijones11 months ago04 mins

Former India batter Virender Sehwag has suggested that Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill is lucky to have his name in the travelling reserves for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas. Gill did not find a place in the 15-man squad, with the selectors preferring another youngster in Yashasvi Jaiswal for the openers slot. Gil, however, is one of the four travelling reserves. Gill, who was the Orange Cap winner last season, has only scored 322 runs in 11 matches during the ongoing season of IPL. Sehwag feels Gill should focus on scoring more runs so that he doesn’t get dropped from the team in the future. “I think he’s lucky that his name is in the T20 World Cup reserves. KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad are not even in that. That’s a good point and he should be motivated by that. Next time, he should not let his place go once he gets a chance. He should focus on scoring runs at a good strike-rate so he doesn’t get replaced,” Sehwag said during a discussion on Cricbuzz. Recalling his playing days, Sehwag recalled how the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman hardly gave the selectors any solid reason to drop them. “In my days, we had Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman. It doesn’t matter how many runs the other guys scored, these guys didn’t go out because they never stopped scoring runs. How will you drop them if they keep scoring runs? They never gave a reason to get dropped. This is what Shubman Gill has to learn. Once he returns to Indian team and plays regularly post the World Cup, he shouldn’t let such an opportunity arise again. Improve your skills and score big, because big scores will eventually save you,” he added. Gill is having a torrid season in IPL 2024, with his team also languishing in the bottom half of the points table. He had taken over captaincy from Hardik Pandya, who returned to Mumbai Indians ahead of the season to fill in the same role. With back-to-back defeats against RCB, Gill’s GT have slumped to ninth in the points table with eights points from 11 matches. Topics mentioned in this article

Mohammed Siraj’s form crucial for RCB: Griffith | Cricket News

Danijones11 months ago05 mins

BENGALURU: It wasn’t a typical M Chinnaswamy stadium strip on Saturday night — the wicket was two-paced, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s bowling too wasn’t akin to their display in the Indian Premier League thus far.Their bowling attack, pace in particular, was characterised by discipline, lengths were rarely off the mark and the lines spot on.Most importantly, their lead bowler, Mohammed Siraj, was back in the groove, tormenting the hapless Gujarat Titans batters in the powerplay.Siraj was dropped for the run-fest against Sunrisers Hyderabad last month and the 10-day break seems to have rejuvenated the 30-year-old. The World Cup-bound pacer has found his rhythm and although RCB are seventh on the points table with three games in hand, it isn’t out of place for them to fancy an outside chance of making the playoffs.In the last two wins — both coming against Gujarat — the bowling in powerplay has been the key for Faf du Plessis and his men. Admitting that the team has been able to address the problem area, Adam Griffith, the RCB bowling coach, said, “The start of the tournament wasn’t great for us, especially in the powerplay and that is something we focused a lot on recently to make sure we work really hard to get better starts. It was good to see the hard work pay off.”Siraj, at the start of the day, was a doubtful starter.“I wasn’t feeling well. When I woke up in the morning, I thought I wouldn’t be able to play and should rest. But I manifested what I wanted to do and that’s exactly what happened,” he said after the four-wicket win.The Bengaluru-based franchise headed to Goa for a break after their nine-wicket win over the Titans in Ahmedabad last week and the rest seemed to have worked well for the team.Outlining the shift in the bowling approach, Griffith revealed, “We’ve swung the ball all tournament upfront. What we’ve done in the last couple of games is we’ve bowled a better line. We talked a lot about bowling straighter and attacking the stumps as much as we can to challenge the batters’ defence and make them play aggressive shots. If they want to come hard at us, it’s a challenge for them to do. The boys put it exactly where we wanted them.”While RCB’s spin attack is undercooked and the pacers have been under the pump, Griffith said Siraj’s form was crucial for the team.“He’s the leader of our group. He’s our most experienced bowler and played a lot for India over the last few years and done really well. It’s not just him bowling well but it’s his aggression, it’s his body language and it’s his taking the batters on to try and get wickets. He’s such an important part of what we’re trying to do. So, having him up and going, swinging the ball again, bowling with good pace is important,” pointed out the 46-year-old.

Faf du Plessis’ “Nervous” Remark Despite Dominant Win Over GT Sums Up RCB’s Current State

Danijones11 months ago9 months ago04 mins

Following a four-wicket win over Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis said that he was nervous when his team lost six quick wickets. Faf and Virat Kohli delivered an exceptional start with a 92-run stand but lost their next six wickets within 25 runs. However, Swapnil Singh and Dinesh Karthik held nerves to guide the team to a tense win with 38 balls left. Following the game, Faf said at the post match presentation, “We have been really good in the last few games, with both bat and ball. We’ve been unbelievable in the field as well. The wicket was a bit different, there was a bit more bounce. Wanted to make sure we take that information from the pitch and give it to the bowlers. Yes there was a dropped catch but it is the effort that we look for and that was there throughout.” “The games we’ve played here have all been high-scoring, anything around 180-190 would have been par. Was important we did not look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play. Was a bit nervous (during loss of wickets). Probably not the best assessment from us there. Yes we wanted to go out there and get the total quickly to boost the net run rate (NRR) but probably when we were 4 down, we had to calm down a little bit,” he added. Coming to the match, RCB elected to field first after winning the toss. GT was 19/3 at one point. Then, a 61-run partnership between Shahrukh Khan (37 in 24 balls, with five fours and a six) and David Miller (30 in 20 balls, with two fours and two sixes) helped GT make a brief comeback. RCB kept taking regular wickets and once again reduced GT to 87/5. Then, a 44-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia (35 in 21 balls, with five fours and a six) and Rashid Khan (18 in 14 balls, with two fours and a six) took GT beyond the 100-run mark. RCB bundled out GT for 147 runs in 19.3 overs. Yash Dayal (2/21), Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/23) and Mohammed Siraj (2/29) were among the top bowlers for RCB. Cameron Green and Karn Sharma took a wicket each. Coming to the run chase, RCB started off brilliantly with Faf Du Plessis (64 in 23 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (42 in 27 balls, with two fours and four sixes) putting up a 92 run stand. After that RCB lost its way due to a fantastic spell from Joshua Little (4/45) and Noor Ahmed (2/23). However, Dinesh Karthik (21*) and Swapnil Singh (15*) guided the team to a four wicket win with 38 balls left.

“Had Immense Pain In My Stomach”: Mohammed Siraj’s Big Revelation After RCB’s Win Over GT

Danijones11 months ago07 mins

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed that he was suffering from severe stomach ache ahead of his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday, but still played the game with ICC T20 World Cup tournament in his mind and with the “power of the almighty”. Siraj played a crucial role in RCB’s four-wicket win over GT in Bengaluru on Saturday. His spell of 2/29 played a crucial role in bundling GT out for 148 runs, which was chased down by RCB with 38 balls to spare. Speaking in a video by the IPL featuring teammate Yash Dayal, Siraj said, “I felt I would not be able to play the game today. I had immense pain in my stomach and also loose motions so I thought there was no chance I would be playing. But I thought that since there is a T20 World Cup around (from June 1 onwards in the West Indies and the USA), getting game time will be very important and good for me. I did not have the energy to bowl with this intensity but maybe the almighty gave me the power.” In 10 matches of IPL 2024, Siraj has taken eight wickets at an average of 44.00, with the best bowling figures of 2/26. The pacer also talked about his bond with star batter Virat Kohli and how it helps him with his bowling. He said that good communication with a legend like Virat reduces half the difficulty for the bowlers. “Virat has known me for eight years now and he always gives handy advice on what to do in a particular situation. He also asks me as a bowler what I am thinking can be done and accordingly let us me execute my plans as well. When you have good communication with such a legend of the game then half the difficulty gets reduced straightaway as a bowler,” he said. Siraj lauded Yash for his bowling with the new ball and said that his performance will do his confidence a “world of good”. “Yash was very good for Gujarat as well and he has come here and continued to do well. He bowls well with the new ball and it will do his confidence a world of good. When you perform in tough situations, it gives you more confidence as a bowler,” he said. In 10 matches of IPL 2024, Dayal has taken 10 wickets at an average of 33.80, with the best bowling figures of 2/21. Dayal also said that he carried the confidence he got from domestic cricket. “I was observing while fielding that where they were hitting their shots. So setting a field against that, I just backed myself to execute my plans and they came off well,” he concluded. Coming to the match, RCB elected to field first after winning the toss. GT was 19/3 at one point. Then, a 61-run partnership between Shahrukh Khan (37 in 24 balls, with five fours and a six) and David Miller (30 in 20 balls, with two fours and two sixes) helped GT make a brief comeback. RCB kept taking regular wickets and once again reduced GT to 87/5. Then, a 44-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia (35 in 21 balls, with five fours and a six) and Rashid Khan (18 in 14 balls, with two fours and a six) took GT beyond the 100-run mark. RCB bundled out GT for 147 runs in 19.3 overs. Yash Dayal (2/21), Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/23) and Mohammed Siraj (2/29) were among the top bowlers for RCB. Cameron Green and Karn Sharma took a wicket each. Coming to the run chase, RCB started off brilliantly with Faf Du Plessis (64 in 23 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (42 in 27 balls, with two fours and four sixes) putting up a 92-run stand. After that RCB lost its way due to a fantastic spell from Joshua Little (4/45) and Noor Ahmed (2/23). However, Dinesh Karthik (21*) and Swapnil Singh (15*) guided the team to a four-wicket win with 38 balls left. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article

‘Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly were never dropped because…’: Virender Sehwag’s stern message for under-fire Shubman Gill | Cricket News

Danijones11 months ago05 mins

NEW DELHI: Star Indian batter Shubman Gill, the captain of Gujarat Titans, has experienced a fluctuating performance in the ongoing IPL 2024 season. Despite a promising beginning, the star opener has struggled to maintain his form in recent matches, with his last significant score of 50+ runs occurring on April 10 against Rajasthan Royals. Since then, Gill has been dismissed for single-digit scores on three occasions.The young opener was also overlooked for the T20 World Cup squad, although he was included in the four-man reserves list alongside Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed.In Gujarat Titans’ recent encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday, Gill’s struggles continued as he managed only 2 runs off seven deliveries.However, former India opener Virender Sehwag expressed his support for Gill, believing that the young talent will bounce back stronger. Sehwag also offered guidance to Gill during this challenging phase, drawing from his own experiences and referencing legendary batsmen such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman while discussing Gill’s lack of run-scoring in detail.“I think he’s lucky that his name is in the T20 World Cup reserves. KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad are not even in that. That’s a good point and he should be motivated by that. Next time, he should not let his place go once he gets a chance. He should focus on scoring runs at a good strike-rate so he doesn’t get replaced,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.“In my days, we had Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman. It doesn’t matter how many runs the other guys scored, these guys didn’t go out because they never stopped scoring runs. How will you drop them if they keep scoring runs? They never gave a reason to get dropped. This is what Shubman Gill has to learn. Once he returns to the Indian team and plays regularly post the World Cup, he shouldn’t let such an opportunity arise again. Improve your skills and score big, because big scores will eventually save you,” Sehwag further said.The Titans’ recent loss to RCB further compounds their struggles in IPL 2024, as they now find themselves languishing at the ninth spot in the table. With just four wins from 11 games, the team led by Gill faces an uphill battle to turn their fortunes around and mount a comeback in the season.Under Gill’s leadership, the Titans, who were champions in 2022 and runners-up last year under Hardik Pandya, have failed to replicate their past successes. Their current position offers little hope of securing a playoff berth unless they manage to pull off a remarkable turnaround in their remaining matches.One of the glaring weaknesses for the Titans has been their performance during the Powerplay, particularly with the bat. Scoring only 23 runs in the Powerplay against RCB, they posted the lowest Powerplay total of any team this season.Further analysis reveals that the Titans’ Powerplay run-rate of 7.54 and strike-rate of 118.43 are the lowest among all teams in IPL 2024. Additionally, they have scored the fewest runs in the first six overs throughout the season, tallying just 469 runs.Addressing their underwhelming performance in the Powerplay will be crucial for the Titans if they are to salvage their season and make a late push for a playoff spot in IPL 2024.

Caught On Stump Mic, Virat Kohli’s Epic Reply To Wriddhiman Saha’s “Runs Roko, Match Kheecho” Plea

Danijones11 months ago04 mins

Every single time a conversation between a wicket-keeper and a player on the field takes place, its glimpses get caught on the stump mic. As Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took on the Gujarat Titans (GT) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Saturday, an epic chat between Virat Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha was caught on the stump mic. With not a big total to defend on the board, Saha urged his teammates to do their best in stopping the flow of runs. But, Kohli had an epic response up his sleeves. The chat took place when RCB were 2 down for 100, and their flow of runs had come down due to quick dismissals in the middle. Hoping to get the momentum shifted in his team’s favour, Saha said: “Runs roko, match kheecho (stop the runs, extend the match)”. Hearing this, Virat said: “Aise kaise kheech loge [(I’ll see) how you will stretch the match]”. Though the Titans made a brave comeback in the match, picking up a total of 6 wickets to all but derail the Royal Challengers’ chase. But, Dinesh Karthik ensured that his team got over the line despite the hiccup. As for the game, Mohammed Siraj turned into a match-winner for RCB with his 2 early wickets of Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill. After the game, Siraj also earned the praise of Royal Challengers Bengaluru assistant coach Adam Griffith for his exemplary show. “The start of the tournament was not that great, especially in the powerplay. That is something we really focused on. Recently we made sure that we really worked hard to get better starts for the group. Tonight, it was one of the better ones and it was good to see the hard work come off,” Griffith said in the post-match press conference. The 46-year-old further lauded Siraj, calling him the leader of the group. “Siraj is the leader of our group. He is our most experienced bowler especially among the Indian quicks and with our international guys as well. Having him up and running and bowling well, but not only that, it’s his body language, his aggression, him trying to get wickets, he is such an important part of what he do,” RCB assistant coach asserted. Topics mentioned in this article

Virat Kohli’s Epic Gesture For Dinesh Karthik On Being Awarded Orange Cap Is Viral. Watch

Danijones11 months ago04 mins

Dinesh Karthik and Swapnil Singh came to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s rescue in their IPL 2024 clash against Gujarat Titans on Saturday. Chasing a below-par 148 after GT were bowled out for 147, RCB were cruising at 92/0 in 5.5 overs with Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli putting on a show in the Powerplay. However, RCB suffered a mid-innings slump, losing six wickets in the space of 25 runs with Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad sharing five between them. While the seemed to be slipping away from RCB grip, unbeaten cameos from Karthik (21) and Swapnil (15) the side off to its third straight win of the season, and two on the bounce against GT after last weekend’s success in Ahmedabad. There was a party atmosphere in Bengaluru after the match as star batter and former RCB captain Kohli recalimed the Orange Cap from CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Kohli, who hit a quickfire 42 on Saturday, now has 542 runs in 11 matches, with Gaikwad (509) in action for CSK against Punjab Kings on Sunday. Karthik presented the Orange Cap back to Kohli after the match, and the latter showed a respectful gesture to the former, bowing down to the former before both shared a hug. A video of the same has now gone viral on social media. Consistency is King, and King Kohli proves it once again whether its in health, fitness, or performance on the field! The King is back to being the Orange Cap Holder.#ViratKohli #RCBvGT #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/ACY9uhsXVA — Duroflex (@Duroflex_world) May 4, 2024 Coming back to the match, Du Plessis’ (64) departure triggered a collapse as Gujarat hit back with wickets from Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad to have the opposition in trouble at 117-6 when Kohli was dismissed. Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green all perished for cheap before Karthik and Swapnil made sure there was no more drama as they steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 35. Earlier put into bat, Gujarat went three down for 19 inside six over before big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, who top-scored with 37, stood strong in a 61-run stand with David Miller, who hit 30 off 20 balls. The win allowed allowed RCB to climb out of the bottom of the table. They are currently seventh in the points table with three games to go. Left-handed Rahul Tewatia hit a 21-ball 35 and put on another key stand with Rashid Khan to add respect to the total. (With AFP Inputs) Topics mentioned in this article

Loud cheers as Virat Kohli makes lively gesture towards Anushka Sharma. Watch | Cricket News

Danijones11 months ago02 mins

NEW DELHI: No matter wherever he is positioned, Virat Kohli‘s each and every act on the field gets captured on camera. And Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s match against Gujarat Titans was no different as the former RCB captain was caught making animated gestures towards his wife Anushka Sharma in the stands at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.Virat’s actions, such as pretending to carry an aarti ki thali upon his arrival, were greeted with enthusiasm and appreciation from the audience.They cherished the couple’s deep connection and Virat’s lighthearted demeanor. The endearing interaction between Virat and Anushka rapidly spread across social media platforms. The event marked Anushka’s first public appearance following the birth of their son, Akaay. Prior to this, she was seen during her birthday festivities, where she celebrated with Virat and his RCB colleagues in a private gathering.RCB stay alive in IPLRoyal Challengers Bengaluru kept alive their slim playoff hopes in the Indian Premier League with a four-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in a low-scoring thriller on Saturday.Bengaluru pacers came to the party as Gujarat was put into bat and bowled out for 147 runs in 19.3 overs.Bengaluru skipper Faf du Plessis then led the way with 64 off 23 balls, as the hosts finished with 152-6 in only 13.4 overs. Kohli scored 42 runs in 27 balls and shared an opening partnership of 92 with du Plessis in 5.5 overs.

IPL 2024: Mohammed Siraj’s good show for RCB a shot in the arm for Team India | Cricket News

Danijones11 months ago07 mins

NEW DELHI: Mohammed Siraj‘s turn-around has been instrumental in Royal Challengers Bengaluru‘s late-inning comeback in this IPL, and the pacer’s impressive form may have also helped calm Indian nerves ahead of the T20 World Cup next month.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLEIn the most recent manifestation of his transformation, Siraj destroyed the Gujarat Titans with a two-wicket burst in the Power Play, taking the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill.Siraj took an incredible 2-0-9-2 at that point, and as he is expected to share the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah in the ICC final, it is also a huge boost for the national side.After working with Siraj for the past five years, assistant coach Adam Griffith of the RCB attributed that change to him “swinging the ball again.”“He’s the leader of our group. He’s played a lot for India in the last few years and has done really well. It’s not just him bowling well. It’s his aggression, his body language, him taking the batters on to try and get wickets is such an important part of what we’re trying to do.“Having him up and going, swinging the ball again, bowling with good pace, and being aggressive is so important to us,” said Griffith in the post-match press meet in Bengaluru on Saturday after RCB defeated GT by four wickets. The bowling performance of the Royal Challengers, with a combined economy rate of 10.28 and 45 wickets, was the lowest in the IPL season.As the leader, it was Siraj’s job to sort of galvanize the others, and he raised his hand.Maybe the nine days off he received between April 12 and April 20 helped him refocus and become more alert.The Sunrisers Hyderabad game in Bengaluru, where they amassed an IPL record 287 for three, was the one he missed in the meantime.Griffith outlined the reasoning behind allowing Siraj some free time.“He’s like any other player when they are fatigued. It’s very important to give them that break. That’s just as important as the training component, sometimes even more important.“He is a rhythm bowler – his run-up is so important to what he does. So, we want him fresh and running in hard,” he said. Siraj participated in four games against the Kolkata Knight Riders, SRH, and two against GT after his comeback from the break. In a high-scoring game against the Knight Riders, RCB lost by one run, but they won the other three.In those three matches, Siraj had figures of 4-0-20-0, 4-0-34-1 and 4-0-29-2.Griffith said Siraj has found a good balance between off-time and preparation.“He knows his body really well. He knows what he needs to do to prepare and every now and then we might need to give him a little bit of a push in that direction.“I’ve been with him now for five or so years, so I can tell when he’s going well and when he needs a rest,” he added.This version of Siraj was a throwback to IPL 2023 when he picked up 19 wickets and 10 of them were in the Power Play.The energy of Siraj seemed to have percolated to other bowlers too as the young Yash Dayal dished out a frugal and productive spell upfront – 4-0-21-2.It meant that the Titans were restricted to the lowest Power Play score of this IPL season – 23/3.Griffith said the RCB bowlers have collectively managed to hit a better line as they notched up three wins on the bounce.“We’ve swung the ball all tournament upfront. We talked about bowling a lot straighter and attacking the stumps as much as we can to challenge the batters’ defence and make them play aggressive shots if they want to come at us.“That’s the challenge for them to do and the boys put them exactly where we wanted them (against GT),” he explained.(With PTI inputs)

Ajay Jadeja Sums Up RCB’s Situation With Award-Worthy ‘Ventilator To ICU’ Remark

Danijones11 months ago04 mins

Former India all-rounder Ajay Jadeja believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowlers have started to click together to take their side “off the ventilator” but the team still remains “in the ICU” following their nervy win over Gujarat Titans. RCB got over the line with four wickets and 38 balls in hand chasing a paltry 148 against GT on Saturday, a win which was set up by the bowlers. Faf du Plessis (64) and Virat Kohli (42) shared 92 runs inside the powerplay but RCB lost wickets in a heap — slipping from 92/0 to 117/6 — to give Gujarat a real hope of pulling off an unlikely win. “The chinks in the armour are visible, what happened at the end. But the chance is there. They’re off the ventilator but they’re still in the ICU,” Jadeja told Jio Cinema. “We are excited about today’s match after seeing Virat and Faf bat. But the real work that was done, was by the bowlers, an aspect RCB has historically struggled at. “The bowling department has started to click for them now, and we’re talking about the business end of the season, this is the point where realistic chances of winning comes from momentum….” Jadeja said RCB may have got the momentum after their win which took them to the seventh spot in the IPL points table, but qualifying for the playoffs remains a “very tough ask”. “More than momentum, it’s about the mentality of the team where you know if you’re in a bad situation, someone will take you out of it… Today, it seemed like RCB picked the right road while Gujarat was on the other side. Who will reach their goal? It’s a very tough ask still,” he said. The former India cricketer, however, was impressed with RCB’s aggressive approach with the bat in a small chase. “They came into the game differently from the start. I haven’t checked the statistics, but I have never seen them start a game with a six. Not one, but two of them, in the first over, when there was no need,” he said. “What Faf did, he was operating at a different pace. Later, there was some excitement in the match but at no point did it seem like this was (GT win) going to be successful,” (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Topics mentioned in this article