Xplorich
Gujarat Titans’ loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru was not simply about failing to defend a sizeable 205 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The result quickly turned into a talking point around leadership decisions, particularly because GT had managed to pull the game back into a position where one decisive bowling move might have stretched the chase into a tense finish. For much of the innings, RCB appeared comfortable. Virat Kohli’s fluent 81 off 44 balls and Devdutt Padikkal’s rapid 55 off 27 ensured control at the top. However, Gujarat clawed their way back once the set batters departed. At 173 for 5 in the 16th over, the equation stood at 33 required from 27 balls. With the main batters gone, the contest had opened up again. The turning point came in how Shubman Gill managed his bowling resources. Mohammed Siraj had delivered three overs for 25 and picked up a wicket, making him GT’s most reliable pace option on the night. Yet, his final over was not used during the key phase. Instead, Manav Suthar was introduced in the 18th over against Krunal Pandya, and that gamble proved costly as 15 runs came off it. The equation quickly shrank to just seven needed from two overs, effectively ending the contest. Virender Sehwag, speaking on Cricbuzz, openly questioned the call. “When 22-25 runs were needed off the last three overs, and if Mohammed Siraj had come in at that stage and got a wicket, maybe it would have been 20 needed off 2 overs, and who knows what would have happened from there. They could have at least taken the game to the last over. The match did not even go till the final over,” Sehwag said. His criticism went beyond that single over. It pointed to a broader hesitation from GT in trusting their main bowlers after they had been expensive earlier. Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada had all conceded runs, but Sehwag felt that in a venue like Chinnaswamy, captains must still lean on their strike options in crunch moments. “I think the calculations were slightly wrong from the captain there. Fine, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan got hit for runs, but it is the captain’s job to bring them back into the attack. If you think that you cannot use a bowler because he has conceded 31 runs off two overs, then you have lost courage, right? That means you have given up. I think that was the mistake there,” he added. The tactical mismatch also played a role. Krunal Pandya, being a left-hander, was able to line up Suthar’s left-arm spin, and once that over went the distance, any lingering pressure disappeared. Gill later suggested that GT had noticed some grip for slower deliveries earlier and believed spin might produce a breakthrough. However, that plan did not come off, especially when Siraj’s control and hard lengths seemed better suited to that stage. Beyond the result, this defeat highlights a recurring concern for Gujarat Titans. Their death-over execution has been inconsistent this season, and yet another match slipped despite them briefly regaining control. For Gill, still evolving as a captain in the IPL, the night underlined how critical timing and trust in key players can be. The scoreboard showed a comfortable chase in the end, but the decisive moment had arrived much earlier.
