NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans spinner R Sai Kishore commended head coach Ashish Nehra for establishing a thriving team culture and stated that new captain Shubman Gill did not appear to be leading the squad for the first time.
Sai Kishore, a left-arm spinner, starred with a stunning four-over spell in GT's six-run victory over Mumbai Indians in their IPL opener on Sunday.
"Shubman led the team very well. It did not look like he was leading for the first time. Even to me as a spinner, the inputs that he gave were fantastic," Kishore said in the post-match press conference.
Batting first, GT posted 168/6 before stopping MI at 162, just as the five-time champions appeared to be on their way to victory.
"We felt we were 10 short, but the thing about this whole team and how it has been run over the last two years is we give a lot of emphasis to competing. Whether we win or lose, we're proud of the way we play. We competed really well. That was the talk given by (head coach) Ashish Nehra as well.
"All credit to the culture he has set up over the last two years. People are not thinking about the result (alone), they're focusing about competing and staying in the game."
Sai Kishore also stated that he was at ease with the batters playing Rashid Khan and came after him. He adjusted his tempo and bowled slower through the air.
1/9:GT edge MI in IPL thriller to spoil Hardik's homecoming
AFP
2/9:Gujarat Titans beat Mumbai Indians
Gujarat Titans edged out Mumbai Indians by six runs in an IPL thriller as Hardik Pandya suffered a defeat as Mumbai captain after he controversially replaced Rohit Sharma.AP
3/9:Rohit Sharma & Dewald Brevis shine
Rohit (43) and Dewald Brevis (46) shone in MI's chase of their 169 target with a third-wicket stand of 77 but Gujarat's bowlers hit back to keep the opposition down 162/9 in Ahmedabad.ANI
4/9:Shubman Gill's victory
It was celebration at the world's biggest cricket stadium for new home team captain Shubman Gill who spoiled Pandya's homecoming.AFP
5/9:Stadium atmosphere
Close to 90,000 fans turned up at the 132,000 capacity arena.IANS
6/9:Bowlers shine for Gujarat
Mohit Sharma took down Brevis and then Tim David in successive overs before fellow quick Spencer Johnson struck twice in the 19th over to dent the chase further.AFP
7/9:Hardik Pandya's efforts in vain
Hardik Pandya attempted to go for the 19 runs needed in the last over with a six and a four off Umesh Yadav before being caught out on the third.AP
8/9:Bumrah's impressive bowling
Jasprit Bumrah came in first change to bowled Wriddhiman Saha with a trademark toe-crushing yorker and finished with figures of 3-14 in four overs to keep down Gujarat to 168/6.PTI
9/9:Gerald Coetzee's impact
Bumrah was ably supported by IPL debutant and South African quick Gerald Coetzee, who took two wickets for Mumbai.AFP"Because the wicket was two-paced, we tried to go into the wicket a lot more, trust our length a lot more than directly going for yorkers.
"That resulted in getting a lot of wickets. It was attacking bowling even if the situation was otherwise.
"In the other teams where I play I usually do the lead role. To do the second role makes it even more exciting.
"Most people are going to play off Rashid and come after me. That makes the challenge more exciting," Sai Kishore said.
Sai Kishore believed the dew would have a significant impact in determining the outcome.
"I was actually expecting dew to play a major role. The ball was wet, but for some strange reason, the ball was still holding on the wicket.
"Usually it slides on, but I was surprised by the amount of purchase I was getting."
(With inputs from PTI)
