"Thank you. When GT is playing, don't think that, eh?" Those were the words of a delighted Shubman Gill as he responded to Harsha Bhogle's comment on whether Gujarat Titans had left too much to do in the end during the 24th game of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Playing at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur against an undefeated Rajasthan side, Gujarat were under the pump after the hosts posted 196 in their allotted quota of 20 overs.
GT didn't go berserk right from the outset and lost Sai Sudharsan at a score of 64 runs with their run rate creeping around eight per over. Gill kept his composure and held an end together as wickets tumbled at regular intervals at the other end.
Watch Shubman Gill's response to Harsha Bhogle:
When Gill perished at an individual score of 72 in the 16th over, Gujarat were behind the required run rate and needed a significant surge in momentum to get over the line.
With 42 needed off the last three overs, Rashid Khan (24* off 11 balls) and Rahul Tewatia (22 off 11 balls) did the job for the runners-up of the previous edition and secured two crucial points.
Even though the game could have swung either way, the Gujarat Titans' captain mentioned during the post-match presentation that the required run rate in the final three overs was "very much gettable".
"We were targeting 45 in three overs and that is very much gettable, and that was the mindset. Mathematically, it is like both batters need to score 9-ball 22 runs or so and if one of the batters goes berserk, it will get over 2-3 balls prior," said Gill.
"(On the Impact Player rule) It does make a difference if you have an extra batter. But it is just the mindset to make it easier and simpler. I would have loved to finish the game but very happy with the way Rashid bhai (Rashid Khan) and Rahul bhai (Rahul Tewatia) finished the game.
"Last game also, we dominated more than 50% but our bad phases were very bad. Winning the game off the last ball is a wonderful feeling. He (Rashid) is such a fantastic player, someone you always want in your team," he mentioned.
