Gujarat looks to get back to winning ways

MOHALI: Defending champion Gujarat Titans, smarting from Rinku Singh’s last-over blitzkrieg, would like to forget that nightmarish night and get back to winning ways when it takes on gritty Punjab Kings in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.

Gujarat had several heroes on that electrifying night, including young Sai Sudarshan, Vijay Shankar and the hat-trick man from Afghanistan Rashid Khan, who led the side in place of unwell Hardik Pandya.

But Rinku had other ideas.

When the match looked as good as over, the Uttar Pradesh batter pulled the rabbit out of the hat for Kolkata Knight Riders, smashing five maximums in the last over to stun the home team.

That last-ball defeat will hurt Gujarat for years to come but, in the immediate, it would like to forget it and get on with the next game.

Gujarat, currently fourth on the table with four points from three games, still has a great chance to top the chart, but for that it will have to collectively come together against Punjab, which is fast emerging as one of the most difficult sides to surmount.

Going by its current form, Punjab’s eight-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad could just be an aberration, given the form of its captain Shikhar Dhawan and young left-arm bowler Arshdeep Singh.

Dhawan’s innings in Hyderabad on April 9 was a testament to the stalwart’s resilience and his ability to stay composed as wickets fell like ninepins at the other end.

His 99 in a losing cause was far bigger and better than playing a winning hand in the match against Rajasthan Royals with an unbeaten 86, or a stroke-filled 40 against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Gujarat would be wary of Dhawan’s form and Hardik would know all too well how the veteran Delhi cricketer would be itching to once again prove himself.

This could well be a contest of one-upmanship between Dhawan and Shubman Gill, with the former still wanting to prove himself and be in contention for a place in the India squad for the ODI World Cup at home later this year.

The way Dhawan and young opening partner Prabhsimran Singh have blasted off in powerplays gives an indication that they are unlikely to alter their strategy against Gujarat, which has bowlers of the calibre of Mohammed Shami, Hardik and Rashid, to name a few.