Assistant coach Matthew Wade says form of GT’s batting trio — Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler — is so good that it takes pitch out of the equation in tonight’s clash against LSG
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill during a practice session in Ahmedabad yesterday. Pic/PTI
Complacency will have no place for two-time finalists Gujarat Titans as they take on Lucknow Super Giants and wooden spooners Chennai Super Kings in their last two league encounters in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at home.
Gujarat Titans are wary of both teams as they believe that when the season is over for a team, they play with a lot of freedom. “Sometimes when a team’s season is over, they almost become a little bit more dangerous. They tend to free up a little bit, and they’ve got an opportunity to, you know, finish their tournaments really strongly as well,” GT assistant coach Matthew Wade said at the match-eve press conference here on Wednesday.
Matthew Wade
“In previous times, I’ve been in this scenario with other teams. You find that sometimes those teams bring their best stuff towards the back end of the tournament when they’re out of the competition, and they’ve got really nothing to lose. So, we’re going to have to be at our best in the next two games to win both of those,” he reckoned.
No choice of surface
In reply to a question by mid-day about the privilege of deciding the kind of strip they want to play on as the home team, Wade said, “I don’t think we get a choice, no. That’s not something that I’ve been privy to. The wickets that we get here are generally great wickets. Whether that’s red soil or whether that’s a black soil wicket. They tend to be pretty conducive for some higher scores,” he pointed out.
“We’ve got two guys at the top of the order that can play under any conditions. Whether we get a flat wicket or one that’s a little bit slower, they tend to go out and adapt to the conditions really quickly and get us off to good starts. So, the pitch conditions won’t be a big issue for us. We’ll adapt to whatever we’re given,” Wade insisted.
GT hold Orange, Purple cap
The top three batters for the Titans are among the top run-getters in the tournament. Orange cap-holder Sai Sudharsan (617 runs), Shubman Gill (601), and Jos Buttler (500) are in the top six run-getters of IPL-18. Purple cap-holder Prasidh Krishna (21 wickets) has spearheaded the list of wicket-takers with his incisive spells.
While the Titans have been riding high from start to finish, Lucknow’s season has gone from bad to worse, with their skipper Rishabh Pant’s poor form (135 runs in 12 matches) being their biggest worry. Against Gujarat Titans on Thursday, LSG will be without their top bowler, Digvesh Singh Rathi (14 wickets in 12 matches). The spinner is suspended for his now viral notebook celebration that match referees have not taken kindly to, handing him a total of five demerit points so far.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
