Ahmedabad, Apr 9 (UNI) Sai Sudharsan’s dazzling 82 off 53 balls and a brutal lower-order assault from Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan powered Gujarat Titans (GT) to a commanding total of 217 for 6 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL contest here on Wednesday.
After being put in to bat by Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson at the Narendra Modi Stadium, GT's innings suffered an early jolt as captain Shubman Gill was cleaned up by Jofra Archer for just 2. But what followed was a stylish rebuild, led by Sudharsan and Jos Buttler, the latter playing a surprise role as an opener, who struck a fluent 36 off 25 balls.
Sudharsan was the star of the show, weathering Archer's early spell before unleashing an array of elegant lofts and cheeky ramps. His 8 boundaries and 3 sixes anchored the innings through the middle overs. He brought up his third fifty of the season with a composed nudge in the 10th over and then accelerated with exquisite shot selection.
The real fireworks, however, came in the death overs. Shahrukh Khan blazed his way to 36 off 20, including two sixes and four fours, setting the tone. Tewatia (24 not out off 12) finished the innings with a flurry - sweeping, slogging, and lofting at will. His final-over heroics included a six and two fours off Sandeep Sharma, lifting GT well past the 200-mark.
Rashid Khan chipped in with a cameo—12 off just 4 balls, smacking a six and a four before holing out to a stunning diving catch by Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Rajasthan bowling, aside from brief control by Archer (4-0-30-1) and Maheesh Theekshana (4-0-54-2), struggled under pressure. Tushar Deshpande bore the brunt, conceding 53 runs despite claiming two wickets. Sandeep Sharma (4-0-41-1) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (4-0-38-0) were also taken to the cleaners.
The Powerplay yielded 56 runs for GT, but it was the acceleration in the final five overs, where they hammered over 70 runs, that broke the back of Rajasthan bowling effort. UNI BDN SSP