“I could have calculated little better” - Vijay Shankar rues timing of dismissal in Qualifier 1 against CSK

Gujarat Titans (GT) batter Vijay Shankar admitted that he could have been a bit smarter in his approach in the chase against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023 on Tuesday, May 23. He also conceded that, as a team, GT could have done a better job in the chase.

Gujarat went down to Chennai by 15 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Set to chase a target of 173, the defending champions were all out for 157 in exactly 20 overs.

GT got off to a poor start in their chase and had lost half their side for 88 by the 14th over. Shankar and Rashid Khan (30 off 16) then added 38 for the seventh wicket to revive the innings. However, the former was dismissed for 14, caught while attempting a big hit against Matheesha Pathirana.

Reflecting on the team's loss and his dismissal, Shankar opined in a post-match press conference:

“I think we could have chased better. We could have got the game much closer. Even the over that I got out, I felt I could have calculated little better. I could have targeted in a better way. So it was a great learning for us. I think we have won a lot of games chasing and this is one off game that we had.”

The 32-year-old praised CSK’s bowlers over a very good performance, lamenting the constant loss of wickets in the chase. He opined that even a partnership of 20-30 runs could have made the difference.

Shankar observed:

“I think they (CSK) bowled pretty well in the middle overs. The middle overs are very important for any team that is chasing. We lost wickets. Otherwise, we lost by 15 runs. If two batters were batting, things would have been different. It is just about losing wickets at the wrong time. Maybe a partnership of 20, 30 runs in the middle could have got us closer in the game.”

Opener Shubman Gill (42) was the top-scorer for GT in the chase. Wriddhiman Saha (12), Hardik Pandya (7) and David Miller (4) all fell cheaply.

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“All batters have played in different positions” - Shankar defends shuffle in batting order

Despite scoring an impressive 53 off 35 in Gujarat’s win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) while batting at No. 3, Shankar was pushed down to No. 6 in Tuesday’s chase.

He, however, defended the team’s tactics, pointing out that they have been shuffling the batting in almost every game, depending on the situation.

Shankar explained:

“Actually, if you see overall in this season, all the batters have played in different positions. So it is not just this game. I think that was the strength of our batting unit as well. Whoever went in different situations, we were able to adapt to it and get runs for the team.

“When you lose a wicket and when you lose a game, things will look odd that we have changed a lot and all. But we have been playing like this overall right from game one until now. I think we have shuffled our batting according to the conditions and situations and we have done well.”

Having lost Qualifier 1, GT will now await the winner of the Eliminator clash between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians (MI) to confirm their opponents in Qualifier 2.

Looking ahead to the knockout game, Shankar asserted:

“I think till now, we have been playing a lot of home and away games. So it is just about going there and adapting to our conditions as quickly as we can. And overall, we’ve been playing wonderful cricket. So one game won’t change much. So it is just about regrouping and coming out and giving our best for the team.”

While LSG will face MI in the Eliminator on Wednesday in Chennai, Qualifier 2 will be played in Ahmedabad on May 26.