'Bowlers are close to my heart': GT captain Hardik Pandya showers praise on bowlers after securing playoff berth

Shubman Gill's maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) ton helped the Gujarat Titans (GT) to a total of 188 runs as the other batters failed to rise to the occasion, and then their star pace duo of Mohammed Sharma (4/21) and Mohit Sharma (4/28) took 8 of the 10 wickets to

SportsTak

• Tue • 16 May 2023

Shubman Gill's maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) ton helped the Gujarat Titans (GT) to a total of 188 runs as the other batters failed to rise to the occasion, and then their star pace duo of Mohammed Sharma (4/21) and Mohit Sharma (4/28) took 8 of the 10 wickets to defeat the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and effectively ending the visitor's IPL 2023 campaign with a win by 34 runs in Ahmedabad on Monday, May 15.

After the game, GT skipper Hardik Pandya spoke about the character of his players as the defending champions became the first team to qualify for the playoffs.

"Very proud of the boys. 2 in 2. Last year was very different. This year we knew there will be a lot of challenges. The way the boys have shown their character and put their hand up in difficult situations, we deserve to be in the qualifiers," said Pandya at the post-match presentation.

"I spoke with my boys we know where we stand and there will be expectations for us to show what we've got. We have ticked a lots of boxes, have made some errors as well. I don't think any team could run through us this season. The guys have focused where they needed to and that's why we stand here," Pandya added.

While Shubman Gill scored a century and rose to second place in the race for Orange Cap, Shami and Mohit Sharma performed equally well with the ball and finished with four wickets each. Throughout this year's competition, GT's bowling attack has been breathing fire. Shami and Rashid Khan have bagged the most wickets this season as both bowlers are tied with 23 wickets each. Mohit Sharma has been sensational in death overs and he currently has 17 wickets in the tournament this season.

Hardik Pandya lauded his bowlers after GT's latest win and affirmed that he has always been a bowler's captain.

"Bowlers are close to my heart. Batters take the credit generally but a couple of overs and a couple of wickets can be important so I am a bowler's captain and make sure they get the credit which they sometimes don't get," said Pandya.