Gujarat Titans became only the 2nd team in the history of IPL to have won the tournament on the year they were introduced. The previous winner was their finals counterpart, Rajasthan Royals. Ofcourse, there weren’t many teams that were introduced during the last 14 years. The number of teams was restricted for the most part except for 2 years when CSK and Rajasthan were banned in 2017. Anyway, it was a commendable performance on the part of Gujarat Titans. This is a review of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022.
Hardik Pandya showed that he has another side
I had previously, criticised Hardik Pandya for batting at an important position of number 4. I really thought that he does not have the game that suits that crucial position. Nevertheless, it was because of his steady innings and the partnership with Gill that ensured that Gujarat did not panic after the initial wickets. Ofcourse, the target wasn’t that huge but in the finals, nerves takes over and a few tight overs, especially if Chahal had taken that sitter of Gill, you never know. The small target would have been seen as a mountain. Hardik, because of his experience at the highest level, guided Gill toward the target. 487 runs at a decent enough strike rate of 131, is commendable from someone who was seen as a lower order blaster and a steady bowler.
Shubnam Gill and the art of batting
Most of Gujarat’s wins were quite comfortable. They always seem to have had the time to either chase a tall score or set one. Shubnam Gill was quite flamboyant during the initial stages of the tournament but faltered a little towards the end. I have always believed that Gill’s game suits the longest format rather than the limited overs version. He has all the shots and is not afraid of fast bowling and he seems to have more time to play his shots than say a Prithvi Shaw or Padikkal. He is in the mould of Rohit Sharma.
India really has found a gem in Gill but his talent is wasted in white ball cricket. The Indian supporter can only hope that his Test Match technique is not compromised because of the need to play shots all the time in T20. Gill is someone who has the talent and the ability to play for India for 10 years. There is no way BCCI will allow him to skip IPL every year and one can only hope that he retains the hunger for the highest form of the game.
Shami the powerhouse
Another major reason for Gujarat’s win was the bowling of Shami. He picked up 12 wickets during the powerplay. The highest for any team. He literally ensured that the opposition does not get off to a flying start and is always checked. He averaged 24, which was an incredible achievement on the batting decks. No one else came close. The consistency of Shami and the pace at which he bowled, was a major factor. Another important factor was the death bowling. Gujarat averaged less than 10 in the death overs.
Rashid Khan
It helped Gujarat that they are the new to the tournament and that Hyderabad thought it fit to release Rashid Khan. With an open field, Gujarat plumped for Rashid for about 15 CR. It proved to be a master stroke. None of the teams were confident of playing Rashid. An economy rate of 6.59 from 16 games was an awesome achievement. It literally means that his four overs, Gujarat can keep the opposition in control. In a game of 20 overs, that is like gold. Even during the final, Rashid kept the most dangerous batsman in Rajasthan Royals, Jos Buttler, in check.
Never once was he able to free his arms. It played a major part in the scoring ability of Buttler. He was more intent on batting safely against Rashid and take on the others. However, it eventually cost him his wicket because he simply had to accelerate at a faster clip than what he would have liked. Here, Pandya must be credited for his bold decision to bring Rashid on for Buttler. He really had Buttler under a tight leash.
Tewatia and Miller
Tewatia did not score too many runs. You can say that he didn’t get that many overs to score too many runs but he did score them, rather heavily, in the end at a wonderful strike rate of 147. That swung the game Gujarat’s way. Miller on the otherhand not only scored at a strike rate of 142 but he ended the tournament with close to 500 runs. This super combination ensured that Pandya is not left alone and Miller can always be counted. In the qualifier, it was Miller’s blitzkrieg in the end that sealed the spot in the finals.
Gujarat statistics
It is incredible to see three Gujarat batsmen among the top 10 run getters and two Gujarat bowlers among the top 10 wicket-takers. No wonder, they absolutely dominated the tournament. This goes onto to show how superior they were when compared to the other teams.
Conclusion to review of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022
In the end, Gujarat Titans were the deserved winners. They dominated the tournament right from the beginning and never let go. As far as I can remember, they were always ranked as the top team which clearly shows how superior were they when compared to the other teams.
This Gujarat win has thrown up a rather surprise captaincy option for India. Hardik Pandya. He now wants to win the World Cup for India. This augurs well for the team. I am among the ones who had given up on Hardik Pandya but if he is fit and raring to go, he is an absolute treat to watch.
“Playing for India has always been a kind of dream come true no matter how many games I have played. It has always been a pleasure for me to represent the country. The kind of love and support I have got it is only from the Indian team’s point of view. Long term, short term, I want to win the World Cup no matter what happens.”
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