Twitter Reactions: Mohit Sharma’s last-over heroics help Gujarat trump LSG in low-scoring thriller

Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) snatched the game away from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by seven runs in a low-scoring thriller. 

In doing so, Hardik Pandya and Co. earned their fourth win of the IPL 2023 season in the first match of the day at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, April 22 .

Titans’ skipper, Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to put up a total. The defending champions were handed an early blow in the form of Shubman Gill, who was dismissed for nought. In addition to this, the slower wicket on offer played a massive role as Gujarat were unable to get the required boundaries on a consistent basis. 

Wriddhiman Saha and skipper Hardik Pandya got the vital runs on the board as GT concluded the powerplay (1-6 overs) with 40 runs. Despite playing on a slow deck, the batters decided to target Ravi Bishnoi as he gave away 49 runs in his four overs and failed to get any breakthrough.

A 68-run stand between Saha and Hardik came to an end when Krunal Pandya got the crucial wicket of the former for 47 runs. With little to no help from the rest of the unit, Hardik pretty much steered the side until the final over of the contest. 

The skipper got 66 off 50 balls and laced it with four maximums and two fours. Meanwhile, Krunal relished a brilliant outing with the ball as he got two wickets to his name in four overs, giving away mere 16 runs.

On the other hand, Marcus Stoinis too got two wickets under his belt whereas Naveen-ul-Haq and Amit Mishra got one wicket apiece as GT concluded their innings with a paltry 135 runs.

Titans’ bowling unit dragged the match back in their favour against Super Giants

The Titans brought in Jayant Yadav as the Impact Player for Gill to bolster their spin attack to gain an advantage of the slow surface. Mohammed Shami kickstarted the chase well for the defending champions as he concluded the first over with a maiden. 

Soon after the first over, the opening duo of KL Rahul and Kyle Mayers, shifted gears and got the boundaries with ease. The pair remained steady to get 53 runs in the first six overs of the chase. However, Rashid Khan got the vital breakthrough, as he dismissed Mayers 24 off 19 balls.

Skipper Rahul continued his fine knock and notched up a half-century off 38 balls. Despite the efforts by Lucknow, Hardik and Co. got the game down to the wire and brought seasoned pacer Mohit Sharma into the attack. 

With 12 required off the final over, Sharma proved his mettle and showed nerves of steel as he handed Gujarat four wickets in quick succession (two own wickets and two run outs) to snatch the game from LSG. In doing so, Gujarat obtained their fourth win of the season.

Here is how Twitter buzzed during the LSG vs GT clash-