IPL 2022, GT vs RR: Sensational Miller, captain Pandya chase down tall total as Gujarat Titans enter final in style | Cricket News

KOLKATA: Captaincy sometimes brings out the best from a player and Hardik Pandya seems to be the best example. The all around player, who is maturing as a leader and performer in every game, once again took the lead from the front to help his team Gujarat Titans beat the Rajasthan Royals by seven defeats in IPL Qualifier 1 at Eden Gardens next Tuesday.
AS IT HAPPENED | REFER
With the win, Gujarat booked their ticket to the final in their first appearance in the tournament.
It wasn’t a typical slam-bang inning usually associated with T20 cricket, but Pandya, who never had any trouble, kept the ratio in check to steal the thunder from Sanju. Samson-Jos Buttler show earlier in the evening. The Royals offered 188/6 after being asked by Pandya to beat first. The GT hit the target with three balls left, thanks to some sensational six-shot shots from David Miller (68 of 38 balls, 3×4, 5×6) in the final over, getting 191 for three.

RR pacer Trent Boult attacks early, yes Wriddhiman Saha was behind in the second ball of the GT round, but Shubman Gill in charge, play some interesting shots to help the team get the highest score (64/1) in Powerplay.
Unfortunately Gill ran out in a combination with Matthew Wade and the second departed shortly after finding Buttler at the mid-game boundary in Obed McCoy’s first game, sparking some hope for RR. But Pandya’s aggregated 40 plays with 27 balls, with no balls, prompting RR to try his luck a second time in Qualifier 2 on Friday.

Miller gave his captain the ability, finishing with three six six in a row as the Titans needed 16 runs in their final overtaking Prasidh Krishna. The fourth match undefeated stood between Pandya and Miller achieving 106 runs in 61 balls.
Before that, it was Samson who led the initial charge, with Buttler completing it forcefully. Things could get worse for GT if their spin duo Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore didn’t do a great job of stopping in the middle, when 43 times and seven times after Powerplay.

Captain RR Samson seems to be in the mood to send a message to the selectors after being omitted for the national team. For a change, Samson places the Orange Hat holder’s Buttler in the background, making his intentions clear by hitting a dainty ball with the first ball he faces Yash Dayal and the next fruit four through the cover.
But things slow down when the two gyros start working in parallel after RR runs to 55/1 in Powerplay. Rashid has impressed in particular, giving away just 15 times in his four passes and perhaps unlucky to hit little wicket despite his frequent clubbing.

The RR captain who dropped three laps in a half-century is much to look forward to. Buttler, who was lucky to survive at 43 and 69, hit Joseph three lines, and crossed the first six at the penultimate by lifting Shami over the stretch boundary.