After a thumping nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya revealed that he lets star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan guide and advice his countryman Noor Ahmad and both of them are very confident about what they want to do.
Rashid (3/14) and Noor (2/25) ran through Rajasthan Royals' batting line-up in the middle overs, picking up five wickets and the hosts were bundled out for a paltry 118 in 17.5 overs.
In response, Titans chased down the target in 13.4 overs thanks to good start by Shubman Gill (36) and Widdhiman Saha (41 not out) followed by Hardik's unbeaten 39-run quickfire off 15 balls on Friday night.
Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan of Gujarat Titans celebrates a wicket during IPL 2023.
(Photo: BCCI)
"I let Rashid handle the business with Noor. Nobody better to communicate with him. Not much I have to do, I only suggest when to have a slip. They are very confident about what they want to do, we only have conversations when things aren't going right. I feel Wriddhi is one of the best keepers, not easy to pick Rashid and Noor with their speeds," Hardik said in the post-match presentation.
"We are relaxed, doing our jobs and there are just a few chats that I or Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) will have to pull up our socks when needed. I made some judgement errors in the last game, but today my job was half done by the time Shubman got out. I don't shy away from accepting mistakes, accepting the key to succeed for me," he added.
With a win, the Titans consolidated their position at the top of the table and inched closer to playoffs berth with 14 points to their kitty after seven wins in 10 outings, while Royals are on the fourth place with five wins in 10 games.
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