Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill on Friday scored his fifth century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2. GT are chasing a target of 215 and a majority of Gill’s innings came in a mammoth 167-run opening stand between him and Sudharsan. The stand ended only when Sudharsan, extraordinarily, fell hit wicket for a second consecutive time.
Gill got there with his 15th four of the innings. The GT captain also hit three sixes on his way to the century. The 26-year-old didn’t last too long after that, falling LBW to Jofra Archer in the next over on 104 off 53 balls.
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GT’s innings started with Sudharsan taking down Archer, whose exploits have been crucial to RR’s cause particularly in the latter stages of the season. GT took as many as 19 runs out of that first over, with Sudharsan hitting four fours in the over. Gill hit fours off back to back deliveries against Archer in the latter’s next over.
Gill hit and GT’s first six of the innings only in the ninth over but so efficient were the pair before that they didn’t look behind the run rate at any point before that. The pair scored 69 runs in the powerplay, staying well ahead of the required run rate.
Earlier, RR’s teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fell inches away from a century once again but this time, he had to dig in by his standards as his side kept losing wickets at the other end. He fell on 96 off 47 balls with eight fours and seven sixes.
Gill and Sudharsan looked set to take GT all the way to the target themselves when the bat slipped out of the latter’s hand after he drove the fifth ball by Brijesh Sharma in the 13th over. The bat flew out of his hands fell squarely on his middle stump. Gill could be seen going down on his haunches seeing it. He got to his century with a four off Ravindra Jadeja in the next over.
