Gujarat Titans produced a dominant display against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, sealing an eight-wicket victory after chasing down 159 with 20 balls left. Captain Shubman Gill, however, was quick to flag that closing out innings has not always been smooth for his team, and said GT will need to improve that part of their batting going forward. “Very happy to get a win like that in this part of India. Apart from the last four or five overs, it was a complete performance,” Gill said after the match presentation. He also added, “If I have to be critical, finishing an innings has been a problem. We need to do better in that.”
In the run chase, Sai Sudharsan set the tone with a rapid 87 off 46 deliveries, while Gill contributed 33 and Jos Buttler remained unbeaten on 39 as GT built steadily toward the target. The chase never really looked in danger once Sudharsan found rhythm, and the Titans ultimately overhauled the score with ease.
Earlier, the captain’s decision at the toss played a key role in shaping the contest. Gill admitted he was unsure whether to bowl or bat when he won the toss, but chose to ask CSK to bat first. That call proved decisive as Gujarat restricted the home team to 158 for 7 on the Chepauk surface.
Kagiso Rabada was the standout performer with the ball for GT, claiming figures of 3/25 to earn Player of the Match honours. Gill praised the side’s control during the opening phase as well, saying, “But we bowled well in the powerplay.” Speaking about Rashid Khan being limited to a single over, Gill explained there was some uncertainty in the middle overs about the bowling plan, but insisted the result was ultimately in Gujarat’s favour. “There was confusion in the middle. When Dube came in, I thought should we bowl Washy (Washington Sundar), but the game was in our hand. He (Manav Suthar) bowled a decent last over, gave 12 or 13. Pretty good effort from us,” he said.
Gill also singled out Sudharsan’s batting, crediting his consistency and patience at the crease. “It (form) was always with him. It was all about spending the time at the crease,” Gill remarked. Sudharsan, who is from Chennai, said confidence came from his previous outing, where he scored 100 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. “I just wanted to take the confidence from the last innings to this innings. I felt the pitch slightly got better but first six overs, it was tough. Shubi (Shubman Gill) played an extraordinary cameo,” Sudharsan said. He added a light-hearted touch about his routine, saying that when he is striking the ball well, he tends to play later in the innings, and that after the game he will head to his favourite tea shop for “bun maska and chai”.
Rabada, meanwhile, said he did not feel sharp right from the start but gained momentum as the innings progressed, taking three wickets along the way. “That’s how cricket goes. I am glad to play a part to take the team across the line. We needed the two points. The team is clicking,” he said. When asked how he keeps himself ahead of the game, the South African pacer emphasised sticking to his routine and constantly looking for improvement. “It’s just not taking anything for granted. Sticking with your process and always looking to improve. The day that you stop looking to improve is the day that you retire.”
On Gujarat’s seam-bowling mix, Rabada spoke about the role of a fast-bowling group and the team’s long-term approach when playing at Ahmedabad. “Yeah, a lot of fast bowlers, that’s been a clear tactic of Gujarat over the years, playing at Ahmedabad. So it’s nice to see the fast bowlers union coming together and it’s been working thus far.” He also noted that while Gujarat have been taking wickets, they are still working on keeping opponents under control. “I think we’ve been taking a lot of wickets, but at the same time, we need to find ways to contain too. So it’s been a really lovely journey that we’ve had so far.”
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, on the other hand, rued the number of wickets his side lost and said it was difficult to execute certain shots on the Chepauk pitch. “Sometimes I hate to assess this way but it was challenging in the first innings. It was holding for the medium pacers and the bounce was up and down. We lost too many wickets but it was difficult to play some shots,” he said. On the pitch itself, Gaikwad felt the conditions were not as expected, adding that once CSK tried to adjust, the time to recalibrate had already run out. “Not expected. It is hard to assess how it plays. This game we didn’t have any idea. By the time, we wanted to adapt it was too late.”
Gaikwad also described what happened during a key moment when Stephen Fleming joined him at the first timeout. “At the first timeout, when Flem (Stephen Fleming) came out, I told him I am trying to attack but it was tough. There was more bounce, or less bounce, and I told him I am trying to change. It just did not come good. It was just an off day and even on the field we were lethargic.”
Reflecting on his own innings of 74 off 60 balls, Gaikwad said he began strongly, then attempted to maintain momentum after the early phase. “I got off to a really good start, and then I thought to keep up the momentum. But after the wickets fell, I though to build a partnership. I then just wanted to take my time and rotate the strike.” He added that if the conditions had suited CSK more, he would have been more effective at switching gears. “Any other pitch, any other day, I would have rotated the strike. Once I got hit, I just thought let’s keep going.”
