Punjab Kings find Indian pinch hitters in Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma
Synopsis: After a Shubman Gill special in Ahmedabad, Noor Ahmad nearly scripted a familiar nightmare for Punjab before Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma inspired a final over win.
The lack of Indian pinch hitters down the order — it’s a shortcoming that’s often come to haunt Punjab Kings in IPL over the years. It looked to be the case on Thursday as well, with half their batting gone and 89 runs yet to be scored in the final eight overs. It was from here that Shashank Singh and Impact Player Ashutosh Sharma turned the tide for a three-wicket win.
Shashank, the late bloomer, who hails from the town of Bhilai in Chattisgarh, played 10 games for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 season but only amassed 69 runs during the course. On Thursday, the 32-year-old would come into his own, lacing his 29-ball-61 with 10 boundaries, of which four crossed the rope.
Shashank Singh wins it for @punjabkingsipl 👌
His inspirefeul innings takes them over the line 🙌
Watch the match LIVE on @StarSportsIndia and @JioCinema 💻📱#TATAIPL | #GTvPBKS pic.twitter.com/A9QHyeWhnG
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Accompanying him at a crucial juncture in the 200-run chase was 25-year-old Ashutosh Sharma, who had been introduced as an impact sub by the Kings. Coming in to bat after Jitesh Sharma fell to Rashid Khan, Ashutosh mustered 31 off 17 deliveries to help Punjab cross the line after Gujarat had dominated the game for most part of the night.
Glorious Gill
In the day and age of T20, only a handful of batters remain who bring the allure of Test cricket to the sport. More so, not many who do it as well as Shubman Gill. It was a prominent takeaway from his meteoric rise as an all format batter, quite a bit of it on display at this particular venue. Just last year, there was a T20I hundred, another in a Test against Australia, and two more in the IPL. There wasn’t a hundred on Thursday as he finished unbeaten on 89 but it is likely to leave as indelible a mark on those who witnessed it.
Where there’s a 𝙂𝙞𝙡𝙡 there’s a way 💙#GTvPBKS #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPLinBhojpuri pic.twitter.com/AXKEwzqiUH
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Two strokes in particular stood out. First an imperious six he pinned against Kagiso Rabada. There wasn’t much wrong with the delivery. Pitched at length, angling into the right hander, it would’ve clipped the top of off had there been no obstruction. There was though. A loft on the rise. No footwork, not much of a stride either, just a standstill straight loft over Rabada to fetch a maximum. The stillness of the head was the key, reckoned Sunil Gavaskar on the commentary. There were unmissable shades of another 25-year-old Indian batter keeping his head still while launching into Michael Kasprowicz in Sharjah’s sandstorm. But it wasn’t the only shot from Gill that induced the flashbacks for Tendulkar connoisseurs.
Harshal Patel’s shortish delivery was met with an uppercut carved wide of the fielder at short third. Even though it was only a four, Gill went up for the cut — à la Centurion, 2003 World Cup — executing it mid-air by making room on the leg side before a sleek touch of his willow.
Getting to his first fifty of this season, Gill looked unhurried. Biding his time and picking boundaries at regular intervals, he switched the gears in the last four overs using Tennis forehand-like shots.
He’d dispatch Harshal Patel’s slower bumper over long-on in the 17th over using the same stroke. The follow through was minimal but the bat speed was enough. As it was against Kagiso Rabada in the next over. Having already nailed a maximum off the South African fast bowler off the previous delivery, Gill was cramped for room on top of the leg stump but managed to flat bat the short ball down the ground for four. At the other end, Rahul Tewatia would take over as the aggressor to set a target of 200.
Rashid’s clone
On a night leg spinner Rashid Khan found it tough to get going with the ball, his mirror-image opened up the game for Gujarat. There’s a reason why they call Noor Ahmad a left-handed Rashid Khan. The Titans’ assistant coach Ashish Kapoor, who’d spotted the Afghan during his time with Afghanistan’s U19s, had dived into it last year.
Right Through The Defence \|/ 👌
Noor Ahmad gets Jonny Bairstow
Powerplay done, #PBKS are 54/2
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“For me, he was a left-handed Rashid Khan and not many knew him then. It is very difficult to pick his deliveries because of his speed. If you don’t pick it up early, you have already missed it.” It was what happened to Jonny Bairstow on the very first delivery from Noor.
Tossed up on length outside the leg stump, the quicker googly weaved through the tiniest of gaps between the bat and pad to crash into the off stump.
With Prabhsimran Singh proving to be a handful despite the fall of two wickets in the powerplay, it was Noor’s googly once again that provided Punjab with another breakthrough. But as it turned out, it wasn’t enough for the hosts.
