Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The IPL has spent years redefining what batting can look like.
Every season brings with it a fresh innovation. Batters shuffle across their stumps to lap 145kph fast bowlers over fine leg. Yorkers disappear behind the wicketkeeper. Reverse scoops and ramps, once considered novelty shots, have become part of the everyday vocabulary of T20 cricket. The format rewards audacity, celebrates invention and often convinces players that there is always a newer, smarter and more adventurous way to score runs.
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That is what made Gujarat Titans’ chase against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 so fascinating.
GT vs RR, Qualifier 2: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
In a match featuring one of the most gifted teenage talents the game has seen in years and a target in excess of 200, the defining performance came not from innovation but from execution. It came from two batters who continue to trust cricket’s oldest principles and execute them better than most.
Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan did not chase 215 with a barrage of unconventional strokes. They did not attempt to overwhelm Rajasthan through recklessness. Instead, they produced a batting display built on timing, placement, footwork and shot selection, reminding everyone that the basics remain just as effective in 2026 as they were decades ago.
By the end of the night, Gujarat had secured a commanding seven-wicket victory, booked a place in their third IPL final in five seasons and completed the highest successful chase in the franchise’s history. Gill had produced a sublime 104 off 53 balls, Sudharsan had contributed a fluent 58 off 32, and together they had added 167 runs in just 77 deliveries in a partnership that effectively ended the contest before Rajasthan realised it was slipping away.
TRUSTING THE TEMPLATE
The chase, however, began long before Gill and Sudharsan walked out to bat.
Earlier in the evening, Rajasthan Royals had been propelled by another remarkable innings from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old prodigy once again played with a freedom and confidence that belied his age, smashing a brilliantly paced 96 off 47 deliveries. His innings was packed with astonishing strokes and fearless intent, helping Rajasthan post 214 for 6 after electing to bat first on a used New Chandigarh surface.
At various points during Sooryavanshi’s innings, it appeared as though Rajasthan were heading towards a total that would place enormous pressure on Gujarat. Yet inside the Titans camp, there was little sign of panic.
During an innings-break conversation with the host broadcaster, assistant coach Parthiv Patel revealed the thinking within the dressing room. If Rajasthan could be restricted below 220, Gujarat believed they would be in a strong position. It was a simple assessment, but one that reflected the confidence the Titans have in their batting unit.
When the chase began, the required rate stood at 10.75 runs per over. It was demanding but hardly intimidating for a side whose batting revolves around two openers who have spent the season turning difficult chases into manageable pursuits.
More importantly, Gujarat knew they did not need to abandon their identity.
Only a few days earlier, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had blown apart their top order in the Powerplay. Lesser teams might have responded by trying to hit their way out of trouble at the first opportunity. Gill and Sudharsan chose a different path. They trusted the process that had carried them throughout the season.
That trust was visible from the opening over.
If there was one bowler Rajasthan expected to make an impact, it was Jofra Archer. The England fast bowler had been among their most dangerous performers and the pace and bounce on offer in New Chandigarh seemed tailor-made for his strengths. Yet Archer never managed to settle because Gujarat’s openers refused to allow him any breathing space.
Gill and Sudharsan struck two boundaries each in Archer’s first over, immediately shifting the pressure back onto Rajasthan. It was not a reckless assault. It was calculated, controlled and perfectly aligned with the way both batters operate. Anything remotely loose was punished, while the good deliveries were respected.
Once Archer failed to establish control, the chase began to flow exactly the way Gujarat wanted.
A MASTERCLASS IN TIMING, NOT POWER
The most striking aspect of Gill’s innings was how little force appeared to be involved. This was a conventional batting masterclass in an era obsessed with power-hitting. There was scarcely a delivery that he attempted to muscle. Instead, he relied on timing, balance and the ability to repeatedly access gaps in the field.
His innings was a collection of proper cricketing shots. Drives pierced the off side with surgical precision. Flicks rolled through the leg side. Punches through extra cover consistently beat fielders despite not always travelling at extraordinary speed.
The pull shot, however, remained the centrepiece.
Gill has always been one of the finest pullers of the cricket ball in Indian cricket, and Friday night provided another reminder of why. Even against Archer’s pace, he looked completely in control. Three pulls in particular stood out, each played under his eyes, each struck from a position of balance and one travelling all the way into the stands. There was no sense of a batter trying to overpower the bowler. Gill simply trusted his technique and timing.
Against spin, his footwork was equally impressive. Whenever Ravindra Jadeja and the slower bowlers attempted to settle into a rhythm, Gill used his feet to disrupt their lengths. He repeatedly converted good deliveries into scoring opportunities and eventually reached his century using precisely that method, advancing down the pitch and driving Jadeja over extra cover for four.
The hundred was his fifth in the IPL and the fastest ever by a Gujarat Titans batter. It came off just 47 deliveries after he had reached his half-century in 30 balls. What made the innings special was the pacing. There was no frantic acceleration and no dramatic change in approach. Gill simply kept building, trusting that the boundaries would arrive naturally if he continued to make good decisions.
His final tally of 104 included 15 fours and three sixes, but the numbers only partially explain the quality of the knock.
THE PARTNERSHIP THAT HAS REDEFINED GT
At the other end, Sudharsan once again demonstrated why he has become the perfect partner.
The left-hander’s contribution often risks being overshadowed because of Gill’s ability to dominate headlines, yet his role in Gujarat’s success has been equally significant. His 58 off 32 balls featured an array of cuts and drives that repeatedly found gaps and ensured the scoreboard never stopped moving.
Like Gill, Sudharsan rarely looked hurried. He played to his strengths, attacked the right deliveries and rotated strike with remarkable efficiency. Together, the pair displayed an understanding that few opening combinations in world cricket can match.
By the time Gill brought up his fifty with a six and a four off Tushar Deshpande in the ninth over, the duo had already registered their eighth century partnership in IPL cricket. The partnership continued to swell even after the field spread, with neither batter allowing Rajasthan’s bowlers any opportunity to regain control.
Gill then took Jadeja apart with two sixes and a four, powering Gujarat to 127 without loss after 10 overs. That score was 24 runs more than Rajasthan had managed at the same stage of their innings despite Sooryavanshi’s brilliance.
Sudharsan soon reached his fifty off just 26 balls with a six off Yash Raj Punja before Gill ended the over with two boundaries of his own. During the stand, both batters crossed 700 runs for the season, further highlighting the consistency that has underpinned Gujarat’s campaign.
When Gujarat crossed 150 in the 12th over and Gill entered the nineties with two boundaries off Burger, the result felt inevitable. Rajasthan were searching desperately for a breakthrough, but the openers had already taken the game beyond their reach.
The statistics that emerged from the partnership only reinforced its significance. The century stand was Gill and Sudharsan’s 11th hundred-run partnership in T20 cricket, the most by any pair in the world. Gujarat completed their highest successful chase in IPL history. Gill registered the fastest century by a Titans batter.
And then, in the middle of all that excellence, came a moment of complete absurdity.
For the second match in succession, Sudharsan lost control of his bat while attempting a boundary through the off side. For the second match in succession, he ended up being dismissed hit wicket. It was a freak occurrence that briefly distracted from what had otherwise been another flawless opening stand.
Yet even that bizarre dismissal could not alter the larger story of the evening.
THE OLD-SCHOOL WAY STILL WORKS
At a time when T20 cricket continues to evolve at breakneck speed, Gill and Sudharsan remain proof that innovation is most effective when it is built on strong foundations. Neither batter is trapped in the past. Their strike rates and run-scoring numbers comfortably belong in the modern game. What separates them is their refusal to abandon the fundamentals that have always mattered.
On a night when Sooryavanshi showcased the fearless future of T20 batting with another extraordinary innings, Gujarat’s openers reminded everyone that the game’s oldest virtues still have immense value. Balance, timing, footwork, shot selection and an understanding of risk remain powerful weapons, particularly when executed by players of this quality.
As Gujarat marched into another IPL final, powered by a world-record opening partnership and a captain’s innings of exceptional class, Gill and Sudharsan offered something more valuable than a victory. They offered a reminder that while T20 cricket may constantly reinvent itself, cricket’s basics have never truly gone out of fashion.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
