Hardik Pandya hits bulls eye to remove Sanju Samson
Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya is just not ready to do anything wrong tonight as he runs out Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson for 11 after hitting 87 runs in 52 balls in the first innings in the 24th match of IPL 2022 here at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on Thursday. Pandya was standing at mid-on when Samson drove the ball towards him and started running for a run that was never there. GT captain picked up the ball and inflicted a perfect throw to send back the RR skipper.
Earlier, Pandya pulled his team out of trouble with a 33-ball fifty against RR. Hardik (87 not out off 52) first found an able ally in Abhinav Manohar (43 off 28) before he exploded in the company of David Miller (31 not out off 14) to power the IPL debutants to their highest score of the tournament. Hardik and Manohar shared an 86-run stand for the fourth wicket before the skipper and Miller blasted 53 off 25 balls to end the innings in style.
After put in to bat, Gujarat found themselves reeling at 53/3. While Hardik’s 52-ball knock was studded with eight fours and four sixes, Manohar struck four fours and two maximums. Miller, who overall hit five boundaries and a six, fetched 21 runs in the penultimate over off Kuldeep Sen (1/51).
To start with, Hardik was aggressive on pacer Kuldeep as he hammered him for three successive boundaries in the fifth over. He then fetched his first maximum in the seventh over, when he clobbered Riyan Parag over his head.
The duo upped the ante when Manohar launched into inform Yuzvendra Chahal, hammering him for a four and maximum, a lofted inside-out drive over cover. The two then took on Kuldeep, hammering him for three boundaries in the 14th over, where Hardik also notched up his fifty, with a cut towards backward point fence
