Rahul Tewatia caps a fine chase by Shubman Gill with timely sixes
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00:00Well, Tevatiya did it, Tevatiya. Two years ago, we all remember what he did in Sharjah.
00:13Hello, everyone. Welcome to Straight Bad with Gulf News and Messi Cricket UA. That's Adi Sarjan.
00:18And what another thrilling finish at the IPL. Today, joining me and Anish today is Clinton,
00:23a Punjab supporter. I'm sure he must be pretty disheartened. What a day for him to join.
00:29And we have Gautam, the Senior Associate Editor of Gulf News. Before we get into it,
00:34Anish, tell us about what happened with that last-ball finish.
00:39Hi, Shyam. Hello, Mr. Gautam. Hello, Punjab fan. And hello to all the beautiful people of
00:45the Gulf News. Well, Tevatiya did it, Tevatiya. Two years ago, we all remember what he did in
00:50Sharjah. It was the West Indian bowler Sheldon Cottrell. And this time, once again, it was
00:55the West Indian bowler. But this time, it was Odian Smith. And they say, if you want to dial
01:00six, call Tevatiya. And he did not once, twice. And won a match, which probably Gujarat had lost
01:07it. So salute to Tevatiya. I don't think we have seen a match where the last two
01:13balls went for sixes in any tournament for that matter. Have we here, Gautam?
01:18I cannot recall offhand. I mean, if you remember that Matthew Wade innings in the World Cup,
01:26I mean, did he do something like that? But I don't think the last two balls, Shyam.
01:30Yeah, in the same final I'm talking about. Yeah, no, not definitely not the last two balls.
01:37Yeah. Okay, Clinton, I know this is, tell us about your heartbreak.
01:45Well, no words really. But it goes to show that margins in cricket are so important.
01:50It was 13 from 2 and Odian Smith threw that overthrow. And Tevatiya got on strike and then he hit
01:59two sixes in two balls. So, really disappointing. But yes, Punjab never really looked in the game
02:05all through. I mean, when Shubman Gill and the other batsmen, Sai, were batting, I think,
02:12it was a dominant performance all through. It was only because of Arshdeep and Chahar
02:18that we got back into the game and then really, really, really disappointing, shattering.
02:26And yeah, I mean, being a Punjab fan, we are now used to finishes like this, you know,
02:32wherein the two points are there right in front of you and it just gets snatched away
02:37right in front of your face. So, deja vu feeling, but yeah, absolutely shattered.
02:44Yeah, we get your feeling. But Anil, 19 required of the last over.
02:50Did you at any moment think that Gujarat will win at that point?
02:55Honestly, no. To be very honest, even though Pandya was on there, but when Pandya got out,
03:01it became very clear that no, now I don't think Punjab will lose this match. But as Clinton
03:07mentioned, you know, Punjab has this habit of gifting away games from a winning position,
03:12time and again. At least two games against Rajasthan Royals come to my mind, once while
03:16chasing and once while defending. But this time again, as he mentioned that overthrow,
03:22who knows, had he not done that overthrow, maybe Odian Smith would have had more confidence
03:27bowling that last ball. Because when you know in the back of your mind that only six runs is
03:31required, you end up bowling that ball in the slot and that's what happened. And I am afraid,
03:36Odian Smith paid the price for that overthrow and Punjab lost those two crucial points.
03:40Feel sorry for them.
03:43Yeah, T20 is a game about small margins and something like an overthrow can,
03:48you know, change the mindset and the match. Let's look back at how the match unfolded.
03:56Pandya's captaincy, Gautam, I have seen that Shastri even mentioned that Pandya's
04:05name should be added to a list of aspiring India captains. What do you think make of it
04:10based on his leadership in the last few games for Gujarat?
04:16You can't really say that on the basis of, you know, two games, I mean, when things go your way.
04:21But I mean, what he was possibly trying to do was, you know, he was trying to
04:26act in all three capacities. I mean, he was coming in at number four.
04:29Today also he came, I mean, fortunately, there was a wonderful 101-run partnership.
04:36And as long as he was there, as Anish said, I mean, there was hope.
04:40And, you know, the bowling had been a revelation. So was the catching. I mean,
04:44that catch at the deep was disallowed for, you know, like, initial this thing he stepped over.
04:51One has to wait. I mean, you cannot say that he's a contender, Shyam, at this point.
04:55It's good to see him gradually pushing himself in reckoning, proving his fitness for, you know,
05:03the World Cup later this year. That's about it.
05:07Yeah, his fitness looks all right, because he's opening the bowling and clocking 140,
05:12bats at number four, all looks good. It's like you said, too early to make a call on
05:17captaincy, whether it's captaincy material, we will find out as the tournament progresses.
05:24Yes, Punjab fan Clinton, again, here's a question for you. Guests must be thrilled
05:29with Livingston's performance, because Anish and I used to crib about his non-performance.
05:34But last two matches, Livingston has really set the stadium on fire. Tell us more about him.
05:41Absolutely, absolutely. And if not for his innings, I think Punjab wouldn't have
05:48even crossed 150 in this match as well, I think.
05:52Yes, there was a scare that if Pandya had taken that catch, he would have been less by 44 runs.
05:58Yes, absolutely. And another thing that we've got to see from this Punjab team is they're not
06:05aware of the match situation. They just go for... I mean, Rashid Khan had six balls to bowl,
06:11Shahrukh Khan was there and Livingston. I mean, even if they had played out a maiden over,
06:16they could have gone after the remaining pace bowlers, because they're good at hitting pace
06:20and you'd not go after someone like Rashid Khan. But soon after Livingston got out, Shahrukh Khan
06:26tried to sweep Rashid Khan and gets out LPW. So, I question the tactics, the logic. I don't know
06:33what is the attitude. I mean, I just read Rajapaksa's interview wherein he said,
06:39they're going to aim to score 200-220 and in the bargain, if they get all out for 75,
06:45they'll take it. But I mean, you need to assess the situation, you need to assess
06:50how you are at that point and the way Gujarat battled today, picking which bowler to attack
06:58and pace their innings beautifully. I think if not for Arshdeep and Chahar,
07:02the match would have gotten over in the 18th or 19th over.
07:06I get what you said about Rashid Khan, because the other day we saw when Dinesh Karthik was
07:15going great gun, there was one particular over from Chahar and they played him out.
07:21And very smart cricket, I thought. That perhaps was lacking here. Coming back to Rashid Khan,
07:27since you mentioned Rashid Khan. Guys have not sorted out Rashid Khan as yet.
07:32Because Rashid Khan has been playing in the IPL for so long and he is still a tough nut to crack.
07:38Very true, Shyam. Like Clinton hit the nail, the game awareness was lacked by Punjab. But when you
07:44talk about Rashid Khan, now it's been either the 4th or the 5th year. Batsmen are still not able
07:49to find him out. Very rarely does he go for runs. I think the maximum, sometimes he goes for 40 or 45
07:54in an odd game. But otherwise, today if you have to see, he brought his team back into the game
07:59by picking two big wickets. First of Livingstone at the boundary. And then Shahrukh Khan,
08:04I don't know what went through his head. Okay, you want to live by the sword, die by the sword.
08:08But when you know that this is a smart bowler, just play him out. You had three overs. Imagine
08:12had they not scored 30, 33 runs by the tail, it would have been folded for 160, 165. Yes,
08:17you need to play attacking cricket. Play like that England, Gungo cricket. But sometimes,
08:21I have always said, there is a thin line between sensible or carefree cricket than careless cricket.
08:28And I am afraid, Punjab are playing careless cricket. Absolutely. They could have even
08:33finished around 150 if it was not for the late innings, Bravado there. Okay, now,
08:39Titans. Titans got off to a flyer. 31 runs between Wade and Gill in three overs. I mean,
08:46they sure did get off to a flyer. But what has been really a revelation for the Titans
08:52has been Shubman Gill's form. For the last two matches, we have been seeing a few completely
08:58different Gill. Kota, what happened there? I think he has made a very conscious effort that
09:05there will be less of dot balls. I mean, last match, he got something like 84. There
09:11were six dot balls today also. And when you are such a classy performer, I mean, the thing is,
09:20how good a batsman is, is always determined by his ability to pick up the gaps. And that's
09:26exactly what he managed to do. He was also not averse to hitting the big shots. So these are
09:32some of the changes that he has brought in his game. And I mean, it looked as if he had a kind
09:38of point to prove. And that's what has come about very nicely. I mean, normally, maybe he was
09:45tiring a bit somewhere towards the closing stages. But we cannot say that in his pursuit of
09:53possibly his first three figures, there was, you know, he cut some corners. He masterminded the
09:59change really beautifully. No, he absolutely, he anchored it so well. And what is important
10:05is he is not a six hitter. He just had one six in that entire innings. Rest of the scoring was
10:10done purely through boundaries. So which is quite heartening. So you really don't have to have a
10:15big shot. That is what Gill showed for, at least for me today. Now, Aditya, coming quickly back
10:21to you again. We've been seeing so many youngsters, I mean, this time and again, every time a new
10:26youngsters pops up, we discuss that. Today, we saw Sai Sundaram, Sai Sudarshan, a 20-year-old from
10:34Tamil Nadu. What do you make of him? Well, like you mentioned, this year's IPL has thrown up a lot of
10:43youngsters. We saw Ayush Badoni, cool and calm. And today's Sudarshan. And there's a Vanagai,
10:48Abhinav Mehra, somebody who's also played well. So all these youngsters are showing the temperament
10:54and playing knocks, which are crucial. That partnership of 100, at one time, must have looked
11:00slow from Sudarshan's side. But it gave the platform. And to be very honest, I'm so happy
11:06because Gujarat won. Because had Gujarat lost, people would have pointed fingers at this
11:10partnership or this was a slow partnership. But sometimes, as Clinton mentioned, they were
11:15picking out the right bowlers. And getting out at 96 by our good guys, Shubman Gill,
11:23just by a whisker, had he hit over the top, it would have been a boundary. So sometimes,
11:27it goes your way. Sometimes, it doesn't go your way. But you have to give credit to Gujarat
11:31Titans. And I want to point out one thing about the captaincy, like the point was taken. Even
11:36though three games, he's been street smart. He's won three games, but he's been thinking ahead of
11:41the rest, which is what I like about it. With due respect to other captains.
11:46All right. Clinton, Ash Siv, he's been a revelation in the last three, from the last
11:53season. And he's continued to impress this year also. Tell us something more about Ash Siv.
11:59Very, very, very underrated bowler.
12:02Because why I asked you this specific question was, over 18, he considered only five runs,
12:08which is what pushed it into the 90s, pushed it to the last over, actually.
12:14Exactly. And he's been a revelation ever since we picked him back in 2019. He's just grown
12:22as a bowler. I think even last year, he executed really, really well under pressure. If you
12:27remember the first game against Rajasthan, when Sanju Samson had gone berserk and he bowled at
12:33last over under pressure. Ever since then, he's been... He's very underrated, as I said, because
12:40it's always... We are always talking about... Previously, it used to be the Rahuls, the Gales,
12:46the Puran. But Ash Siv used to be one person who will always be under the radar and who
12:51would never go noticed. But yeah, that you pointed it out, he's been amazing. His death
12:56bowling has just got better. And it's only a matter of time until he plays for India.
13:02And if you remember, he's one of the few players, four players retained by Punjab,
13:09actually. So, I was in fact surprised. Why would they retain? They could have retained
13:13anybody else. I'm sure now Ash Siv is repaying them for that faith in him. So, good job to him.
13:20And like I said, shortly... He's been a 19th player for India as well. So, good show there.
13:27And before we... I mean, we can't say enough of Sivarthi. And like Anish said earlier, I think
13:35that is the difference between win and loss today. Before we wind up, Anish, let us know about the
13:42competition and a competition where most of the predictions have been going all right.
13:48Oh, yes. To all the Gulf News fans, make sure to log on to our page and predict the winner.
13:52I know predicting a winner in IPL is very, very difficult. But if you are spot on,
13:57you walk away with a magnificent apparel, which is a track t-shirt and a cap,
14:01and go and support your team and make sure to be logged on to your favorite page, Gulf News.
14:07Yes. Almost a daily ritual now for us. That is the prediction for our viewers. And
14:14here is the prediction for us. Tomorrow is CSK playing, sunrise Hyderabad.
14:19Your prediction, Gautam.
14:22Yeah, I mean, see, tomorrow, you've got two teams. I was just looking at it.
14:26CSK playing, sunrise Hyderabad, Mumbai playing RCB. These two champions with best record,
14:36no points. Yeah. But I would, you know, like in a CSK SRH match,
14:40I would be inclined to go to a CSK tomorrow. I mean, this trick cannot continue.
14:49Clinton, what will be your pick?
14:51I'll go with SRH. CSK look dead and buried.
14:57Why would you say that?
15:01It's not like Sunrisers have done anything extraordinary to deserve to be picked.
15:08Sunrisers have a little better team, I would say. CSK have gone for all the
15:14players who played well for them last season. But nothing seems to be going right for them. And when
15:19you go on a roll of losing, you just keep losing. But I would want CSK to win. But I feel Sunrisers
15:26will win tomorrow. Yeah, you're right. Like when things go wrong, it just keeps happening. It's
15:34very difficult to get it back. Anish, do you agree with Clinton that CSK will continue to slide?
15:42No, it's very odd. Honestly, you know, it's very hard to say that one team is going to win and one
15:48team is not. There are a lot of surprises. But my heart and mind both say CSK. We have to wait and
15:53watch. And like Gautam said, this trick can't continue. We'll have to see. Because like CSK,
15:58SRH has not done anything great. So I'll back the experience of CSK to beat SRH.
16:04Yeah, quite now. So I still completely agree with you on that. Because
16:09CSK is not a bad team. Of course, they have lost the trick to win. But they've been winning for so
16:19many years in four titles. And yeah, here they have a new captain and a side which is struggling
16:27to settle down. But they have their experience. But if you look at SRH, they have not done anything
16:32impressive. Like Clinton made a valid point that when you start losing, it's difficult to stop the
16:38rod. But I think if CSK doesn't stop the rod, they are in for real trouble. This now or never,
16:45this could be the turning point for them. So if they don't win this, they will go into a tailspin.
16:52That's it for today. And thank you for tuning in. And thank you to our viewers and
17:01all of you, especially to you for being our special guest today. Thank you, Anish. Thank you,
17:06Gautam. And all our readers, please log on to our gulfnews.com for the latest
17:10updates and our social media channels as well. See you tomorrow. Good night. Bye-bye.