Match 39, Kolkata, April 29, 2023, 03:30 PM

180/3(17.5ov)

Gujarat Titans beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets

That's all we have from this match. The second game is already underway and Hyderabad have put 62 runs on the board in six overs for the loss of two wickets. You can now switch tabs to catch all the action. Cheers!
Joshua Little is adjudged the Player of the Match. The young pacer says that he tried to keep it simple on this pitch and maintain good lines. Adds that he was nervous in the first game of the season but he has now settled in nicely. Shares that keeping simple and smashing hard lengths are very important.
Hardik Pandya, the captain of Gujarat, starts by praising Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad and feels that they got them back into the game. Adds that as a group they are trying to win games in difficult situations. Staying humble and playing good cricket is the key, adds Pandya. Praises Shankar as well and calls him a fitter player and is expecting a lot of similar knocks from him.
Presentation time...
David Miller (32* off 18 balls) says that it was a great win and praises the batters up front for setting a good platform. He is very impressed with the way Shankar batted and mentions that it was nice to watch him from the other end. Tells that they stick to their process and he feels that they have got a good balance in the team. Adds that they try to stay calm and the confidence keeps on building after winning such games. Shares that his plan with Shankar was to bat deep and rebuild by playing good shots. Praises Joshua Little for his bowling effort and is impressed with his lines. States that the atmosphere here at Eden Gardens is spectacular and it was a privilege for him to bat at this venue.
Nitish Rana, the captain of Kolkata, says that they were 20-25 runs short and regrets dropping the catches. Adds that the batting didn't fare well and only Gurbaz and Russell managed to score runs. Shares that the plan was to pick early wickets. Admits that they failed to maintain the pressure in the middle overs and again rues their fielding effort. Feels that they need to improve in all the departments. Further says that winning the little moments in the game matters a lot.
Earlier, it was only Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Andre Russell who put up a strong show with the bat as the rest of the Kolkata batting unit flopped. For Gujarat, Mohammad Shami was very impressive, claiming three wickets and the likes of Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad also fared exceedingly well - the main reason Gujarat managed to pull things back.
At Eden Gardens, a target of 180 was about par and the hosts needed early wickets to put the strong batting department of Gujarat under pressure. Although they did keep the scoring rate under check and once they dismissed both Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya in quick succession, Kolkata had the upper hand. However, after the second Strategic Break, Gujarat decided to press on the accelerator and it paid off. Both Vijay Shankar and David Miller went berserk and Kolkata were left with no answers. Miller also got a reprieve as he was dropped by Suyash Sharma but that said, the way Shankar exploded, that dropped catch would not have made much of a difference.
Easy win in the end for Gujarat! Things got a bit tough but they managed to channel their best in the middle order to overcome the challenge. Vijay Shankar and David Miller emerged as the saviours for the them and the former, in particular, showed again that he has worked immensely on his power-hitting. With this win, Gujarat shoot to the top of the points table.
In over# 18
1wd
6
1
1
4
1
Nitish Rana 14/0(0.5)
17.6
1wd
Wide! Anti-climax. Gujarat win by 7 wickets with 13 balls to spare. Quicker one, down the leg side, Shankar goes down to sweep but misses. The umpire stretches his arms and that's that!
17.5
6
SIX! FIFTY FOR SHANKAR, off just 24 balls. What a player, what a shot! Floated and full, around leg, Shankar goes down on one knee and spanks it behind square leg for a maximum. Score level.
17.4
1
Quicker and around off, Miller forces it to sweeper cover for a run.
17.3
1
Flatter and on middle, tucked to deep mid-wicket for a single.
17.2
4
FOUR! Easy pickings! Quicker and fuller, around leg, Shankar picks it up and puts it away towards long leg for a boundary.
17.1
1
Short and on middle, pulled down to wide long on for a run.
Nitish Rana to bowl. 14 needed off 18 balls.
In over# 17
6
4lb
1
1
6
6
Varun Chakaravarthy 42/0(4)
16.6
6
SIX! Vijay Shankar has put this chase to bed. Short and on off, Shankar rides the bounce and dismisses it over mid-wicket for a biggie.