Key participant: Sai Kishore, second from proper, is anticipated to play an even bigger position for Titans in this version.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
In 2023, R. Sai Kishore didn’t play a single IPL match for Gujarat Titans. Going by his efficiency in Sunday’s six-run win over Mumbai Indians, he’s set to play greater than a handful this season.
Prized wicket
The left-arm spinner bowled 4 uninterrupted overs for a miserly 24 runs, and picked up the prized wicket of Rohit Sharma that triggered MI’s collapse. That the hassle got here regardless of the presence of dew made it all of the extra praiseworthy.
“I was expecting dew to play a major role,” Sai Kishore mentioned after the win. “The ball was wet but for some strange reason it was still holding on to the wicket. I was surprised by the amount of purchase I was getting. So I just tried to mix my pace and go slow through the air.”
The probability to bowl his full quota of overs at one go helped, Sai Kishore mentioned.
“When you bowl four on the trot, it is easier and you can be in rhythm for a lot longer. When you look at Syed Mushtaq Ali [Trophy] or TNPL, it goes 1-1-1-1 for me. That is how I use my overs.”
“With the Impact Player rule, we are playing with six bowlers, and with the amount of quality we have, I am getting to bowl those four [overs on the trot] which I am enjoying.”
Curiously, it might be Hardik Pandya’s exit from GT that paves the way in which for a extra constant run for Sai Kishore within the group. There is little doubt that the Tamil Nadu skipper would have even in any other case staked declare, having completed with 53 wickets within the Ranji Trophy.
But with Afghan Azmatullah Omarzai being checked out as Hardik’s substitute, and Rashid Khan and South Africa’s David Miller certainties within the aspect, the bowling will want to be India heavy. Even as Rashid stays the principal risk, Sai Kishore can emerge because the ghost within the ring.
“In the other teams that I play, I usually do the lead role. To do the second role is actually exciting,” Sai Kishore said.
“Most teams will just play out Rashid and they are going to come after me. That is going to make things exciting. We haven’t spoken in detail about how to go about bowling together but that sync is [already] there.”
