Gujarat Titans captain explains tactical pitch selection and praises pace attack after sealing a 36-run victory over Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, March 30: Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill shed light on the tactical use of a black soil pitch after his side’s 36-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2025 encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Gill revealed that the team had pre-decided to use the black soil surface for the second home game, capitalizing on its unique characteristics that make boundary-hitting difficult once the ball gets older.
“The decision was made before the first match itself,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. “Batting second on this pitch becomes challenging as the ball gets older—it grips and holds. So, we focused on maximizing the powerplay while batting first.”
🔹 Tactical Changes & Trust in Pace
The skipper also surprised many by not using Rashid Khan’s full quota of overs, despite the Afghan spinner’s match-winning potential.
“I kept Rashid bhai for the back-end, but our pacers were bowling really well, especially Prasidh (Krishna). So, I went with the flow and stuck with pace,” Gill explained.
The move paid off, as Prasidh Krishna (2/18) and Mohammed Siraj (2/34) delivered fiery spells that dismantled MI’s chase.
🔹 Gujarat’s Innings: Fast Start, Late Collapse
Batting first, GT’s openers Gill (38) and Sai Sudharsan (63) stitched together a 78-run opening stand. Sudharsan later shared another fifty-run partnership with Jos Buttler (39).
Though GT was on course for 200+, they lost quick wickets in the death overs, collapsing from 179/3 to 196/8.
🔹 Mumbai’s Struggle in the Chase
Chasing 197, MI lost Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton early. A brief recovery by Tilak Varma (39) and Suryakumar Yadav (48) raised hopes, but once the pair fell, the innings unraveled.
MI finished at 160/6, still 36 runs short, continuing their winless streak against GT in Ahmedabad (0-4).
🔹 Bowling Brilliance
While GT pacers shone, MI’s bowling unit saw Hardik Pandya (2/29) lead the effort, supported by Boult, Chahar, Mujeeb, and Raju, who picked up a wicket each.
📊 GT vs MI Head-to-Head in Ahmedabad:
GT – 4 wins | MI – 0 wins
With this win, Gujarat Titans now sit comfortably on the points table and have built strong momentum heading into their next matches.