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Gujarat Titans (GT) once again proved their mettle after scoring a late flurry of runs to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 fixture at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. GT's Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan smashed 25 off the last over as they consolidated their position on top of the points table.
Speaking after the match, GT skipper Hardik Pandya commented that maybe 'god' was helping them, but expects to run out of luck soon, "I think God is telling us I'll help you guys. But it's happening quite often that by the time the main games come, we might run out of luck."
But the skipper was also quick to praise his team and the support staff after their brilliant run in their debut IPL season. "It's been fantastic. People are stepping up. A lot of credit goes to the support staff, the kind of environment we have kept. A lot of people get a lot of freedom. It's very chilled out. There's not much pressure given to the players. A lot of pressure is taken on by the leadership group. Everyone is stepping up and doing justice to what they represent," he said.
Initially known for his bowling capabilities, Pandya had faded off in his last two seasons with the Mumbai Indians (MI). Although he has picked up four wickets for GT this season, the medium-pacer has bowled a single ball in their last two matches. Sharing his thoughts on the same, Pandya said, "I'm trying to manage when I should bowl in important games. It's a long tournament. I don't want to get too excited.
"I don't have to show how I'm bowling. Whenever my team needs it as required, I'll come back and bowl as well and the same with Rahul [Tewatia] as well. He's ready whenever the ball is given to him," he added.
Pandya also heaped praise on Tewatia and Rashid, who wreaked havoc on South African Marco Jansen in the last over to seal the win, "We are quite practical as well and talk about winning the right situations. We always back them (Tewatia and Rashid) because they have a lot of self-belief. We have intentionally tried to make sure that the dugout or the dressing room keeps the atmosphere calm because it helps the players play their best game. A lot of credit goes to the support staff."
