Gill’s century powers Gujarat Titans into IPL final

Shubman Gill produced a conventional batting masterclass in the age of muscle on the way to a majestic hundred here on Friday, leading Gujarat Titans to a dominating seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals and a third final in five seasons of the Indian Premier League.

First it was boy wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who played some astonishing shots in a brilliantly paced 96 off 47 balls to steer Rajasthan Royals to 214 for six after Royals opted to bat on a used surface in the Qualifier 2.

The target was in the range of a top-heavy Titans but they ended up making short work of it courtesy a special 167-run stand off 77 balls between the prolific opening duo of Gill (104 off 53)  and Sai Sudharsan (58 off 32).

Freakishly, Sudharsan lost the control of his bat for the second game in a row to be hit wicket. Titans coasted to the target in 18.4 overs.

Titans will meet defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, days after being hammered by the same team in Dharamsala.

Highlighting their remarkable consistency, Titans have entered the final thrice since their inaugural season in 2022 when they lifted the trophy.

Rajasthan Royals have two X-factor players in Sooryavanshi and Jofra Archer and both had to deliver to take their team to the final. Sooryavanshi did but on a rare occasion, Archer went wicket-less in the powerplay and the others failed to step up. 

The manner in which Gill and Sudharsan batted in the chase was a treat for the purists of the game. Piercing the field with proper cricketing shots is their strength and that is what they did to perfection.

Gill loves the pull shot and he executed it with ease even against the express pace of Jofra Archer. He used the feet against spinners for boundaries and used the same tactic to reach his hundred, picking Jadeja for a four over extra cover.

With the kind of season Gill has had, he has made a strong case for his inclusion in the India T20 squad after being dropped in the lead-up to the World Cup. He collected 15 fours and three sixes in his classy knock.

There was a bigger crowd in attendance than on Wednesday night, and the majority of them turned up to watch 15-year-old Sooryavanshi go about his belligerent business.

They got more than their money’s worth with Sooryavanshi continuing to boss the best bowlers around, including Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder on this occasion.

Having lost Yashavi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel inside the second over, Sooryavanshi needed to adapt on a used surface where Mohammed Siraj, Rabada and Prasidh Krishna came with a clear plan: bowl back of a length into the body and throw in the odd bouncer to contain Sooryavanshi.

With the same pitch picked for the second game in a row, the ball did not come on to the bat as nicely as it did in the Eliminator. 

Sooryavanshi was not able to time the ball early on with the bowlers not giving him anything to free his arms. Despite the challenges thrown at him, Sooryavanshi was still able to play awe-inducing shots with the best one being a straight six off a 153 kmph back of length delivery from Rabada.

Promoted to number four considering the situation, Ravindra Jadeja (45 not out off 35) played his part perfectly by going after the pacers, particularly Krishna, who bowled too short in his opening over. Struggling with a tennis elbow, Jadeja got retired hurt after the eighth over before returning to support Ferreria in the death overs (38 not out off 11).

Sooryavanshi also had luck going his way as he was dropped by Sudharsan on 46. However, he went on to complete his sixth fifty of the tournament and made GT pay by going on the offensive in the middle overs. 

After dominating Rabada despite being hit on the helmet by the South African, Sooryavanshi played a couple of audacious forehands off Jason Holder, who again was impressive in the middle overs.

A well-deserved century was there for the taking, like it was on Wednesday night, but Sooryavanshi was holed out in third man for the second game in a row, off a short ball from Rabada.

GT were on course to limit Royals under 200 but the decision to hand the ball to Rashid in the final over did not pay off. On a forgettable night, Ferreira picked him for a barrage of sixes for a 27-run over.