I don’t want people to play him out, I want them to attack him: Hardik Pandya on Rashid Khan’s game-changing over vs PBKS

Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya stated that ace spinner Rashid Khan will be used in situations when opposition batters are in an attacking mode. His double strike in the 16th over proved crucial as GT beat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) with a last-ball six at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday.

In a game that ebbed and flowed, PBKS recovered from a jolted start to reach 152 for five after 15 overs. Just as Liam Livingstone (64 off 27) was threatening to take the game away, Rashid removed him before sending back big-hitter Shahrukh Khan (15 off eight) a ball later.

Asked about the decision to hold back Rashid's final six deliveries for the death overs, Pandya reasoned that he wants his “trump card” to operate when batters are trying to up the scoring rate.

Hardik Pandya said in response to a Sportskeeda query at the post-match press conference:

“He’s my trump card and I’ll use him when the situation needs it. In the worst situation, I know that he’ll get me out of that. So it was a simple tactical decision, where I wanted him to be there when people start hitting. Because that’s where he’s the most dangerous."

He added:

"I have seen a lot of times now in IPL, that people are trying to play him out. Which I don’t want, I want people to attack him and that’s where I think he’s dangerous and he's been very helpful to us.”

Rashid Khan (3 for 22) lived up to his reputation of picking up wickets. Livingstone holed out at deep mid-wicket trying to take on a shortish ball, while Shahrukh went for an almight heave and missed it altogether to be struck plumb in front.

Lauding the Afghan's aggressive mentality, Pandya mentioned that Rashid’s reliability prompted the Titans to hand him the added responsibility of vice-captaincy. Pandya remarked:

“It’s a blessing to have someone like Rash [Rashid Khan] in your team, where you know that any give point of time he can get you back in the game. That is the role that’s been given to him. That is the reason he’s vice-captain also, because the amount of importance he has. He is an aggressive spinner, which I don’t see a lot of time in this day and age. And he’s always looking to take wickets, that is the way we want to go – we want to attack.”

Chasing 190, Shubman Gill held the innings together with an elegant 96 off 59. But the Punjab bowlers took the game close, so much so that 19 runs were required off the final over. In the end, it needed a Rahul Tewatia (13* off three) masterclass as he hit Odean Smith (0 for 35) for back-to-back sixes to seal victory off the final delivery.

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“I can see he’s taking a lot of responsibility” – Hardik Pandya hails Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is the second-highest scorer in IPL 2022 so far with an aggregate of 180 runs [Credits: IPL]

The Gujarat Titans invested heavily in Shubman Gill, drafting him in for a whopping ₹8 crore, and he is fully vindicating the move. After smashing 84 off 46 in the previous tie against the Delhi Capitals (DC), the Punjab lad took home the Player of the Match award tonight for his flawless 59-ball 96.

Hardik Pandya, who dismissed his counterpart Mayank Agarwal, stated that the 22-year-old is speaking his mind at team meetings and shouldering more responsibility, which is translating into his on-field exploits too. Pandya elaborated:

“I can see he’s taking a lot of responsibility when we are having meetings. We are not one of those teams who have a lot of meetings, but whenever he gets an opportunity, he always expresses himself. And I think that is showing in his cricket as well. He’s taking responsibilities, he knows that how important he is for this franchise and for us to do well. And the way he has batted in the last two games, I didn’t have to tell him much. I just told him to go out there and enjoy and he’s doing just that.”

GT have climbed to second in the IPL 2022 table. They will face bottom-placed SunRiser Hyderabad (SRH) at the DY Patil Stadium on Monday. Anil Kumble and Co., who are struggling to shed the inconsistency tag, have four days to do some soul-searching before taking on the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Pune.