In a format often dominated by innovation and brute force, Gujarat Titans' Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan once again reminded the fans that proper cricketing shots still thrive in the hustle of modern T20 cricket.
Their 205-run unbeaten opening stand, the third highest in IPL history, against Delhi Capitals was built on textbook strokes, precise timing, and effortless grace.
Blending composure with command, the two made light work of the 200-run target with an array of crisp, conventional strokes that oozed class in a high-octane contest.
Chasing a daunting target, there was no sign of panic. Both of them remained calm and were calculative. They executed their plans with style and a sense of ease and fluidity. Both were fully confident of their abilities and their body language, footwork, and timing testified to it.
Highest T20 target chased without losing wicket
After amassing 43 runs in the first three overs, Sudharsan and Gill slowed things down a bit in the next five overs -- scoring only 27 runs off 30 balls as DC bowlers kept it tight, conceding just a single boundary in that period.
The two happily waited for the bad balls, but at the same time, they looked to exploit gaps in the field and rotated the strike, not allowing their concentration dip even momentarily.
In the 9th over bowled by DC Skipper Axar Patel, they made amends with some lusty blows and Sudharsan brought up his half-century off just 31 balls, his 6th fifty-plus score this IPL.
In the next three overs, they scored exactly 11 runs each, keeping the asking rate in check without trying to do anything fancy.
They then targeted Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera, who was brought back into the attack after a 3-run first over.
Gill hit a four and a six off the third and fourth ball before Sudharsan cut a slower ball for a boundary to the sweeper cover fence to plunder 19 runs off the over. The same over saw Gill bringing up his half-century off 33 balls, his fifth 50-plus score in IPL 2025.
In the next three overs, they switched on the alert mode again, conserving energy and waiting for a mistake by the bowlers. Axar tried out all his options to break the partnership, but neither Gill nor Sudharsan ran out of patience.
Biggest win for GT
After a brief lull, the two upped the tempo again in the 17th over bowled by T Natarajan, smashing two fours and a six to score 18 runs in total.
In the next over bowled by Kuldeep Yadav, Sudharsan brought up his second IPL hundred off just 56 balls with a massive six over the sightscreen.
Titans needed just 6 runs off the final 12 deliveries and Sudharsan fittingly finished the game with another maximum over long-on off a half-tracker from Vipraj Nigam.
Sudharsan's 108 off 61 balls (12x4, 4x6) and Gill's 93 off 53 balls (3x4, 7x6) exemplified classical elegance that married tradition with T20 tempo.
From the very first ball, they were striking it cleanly from the middle of the bat. They kept changing their approach to keep DC bowlers guessing and made it harder for them to plan their attack.
Sudharsan currently leads the batting charts with 617 runs from 12 games while Gill is second on the list aggregating 601 runs.
Titans have made it to the playoff, and their top three -- consisting of Sudharsan, Gill and Jos Buttler (500 runs in 11 matches) -- have been so prolific that the others have hardly got a chance to bat so far this season.
It will not be surprising if Titans think-tank shuffles their batting order in the remaining two league games in order to give some exposure to their inexperienced middle-order.
Photographs: BCCI
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