Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) sustained a 15-run defeat in Qualifier 1 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 23 (Tuesday). As a result, Hardik Pandya's men failed to book their place in the final but they will have another shot at qualifying for the summit clash. After electing to bowl first, GT ended up conceding 172 runs on a pitch where CSK have strangled the opposition teams with their varied bowling attack.
In the end, a similar course transpired on Tuesday also as GT's batting line-up struggled to make a mark against a quality CSK attack. The Titans were bundled out for 157 runs in 20 overs, much to the delight of expectant CSK supporters inside the stadium.
GT skipper Hardik reflected on his team's performance after the game and highlighted a couple of mistakes bowling which ultimately made the difference.
"I think we were quite spot-on (with the ball), but we made basic errors and that cost us the game. The kind of bowlers we had, I felt we conceded 15 extra runs. A lot of things we did right. We bowled a couple of soft balls in between. We were executing our plans and then in between we gave some runs. I don't think we need to look much into it. We have to play two days later, we have to play one more game to make sure we reach the final. Just focus on the things that we've done really well this season," Hardik was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz after the game.
CSK skipper MS Dhoni once again put on a masterclass of captaincy as he rotated the bowlers in sublime fashion and kept GT batter's guessing. Hardik acknowledged his counterpart's astute decision during the match and voiced his desire to face the Men in Yellow once again in the final.
"That's the beauty about him (Dhoni), with his mind and the way he uses the bowlers, he'll make sure that you'll feel like he's adding 10 runs. We kept losing wickets, he kept changing the bowlers, credit to him. Happy for him, would be nice to meet him on Sunday. Regrets are not good in life. We expected dew would come, it didn't come. We didn't do right in both the departments. We'll give a crack again after two days," said Hardik.
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