GT vs RR: Mohammed Shami rips out Jos Buttler's off pole with pearler

Chasing a target of 178 runs, Rajasthan Royals needed a strong start against Gujarat Titans, and all eyes were on Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who were in brilliant form in the ongoing IPL 2023. However, the team lost the wicket of Jaiswal in the second over of the match, and soon after, Mohammed Shami rattled Jos Buttler’s wicket in the third over to put the visiting team under real pressure at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Notably, the England international was struggling for rhythm against Shami, who was magnificent with the new ball. Buttler failed to make any kind of impact and got out without opening his tally. He failed to make a connection with the ball as the ace pacer dismissed his off-stump with a peach of a delivery. The stump went flying as Rajasthan looked to be in deep trouble.

IndianPremierLeague@IPL

T. I. M. B. E. R! Huge Wicket for @gujarat_titans! 👏 👏 @MdShami11 with his first wicket of the match! 👍 👍 #RR 2 down as Jos Buttler departs. Follow the match 👉 bit.ly/TATAIPL-2023-23 #TATAIPL | #GTvRR

09:47 PM · Apr 16, 2023

1.5K113

Nevertheless, skipper Sanju Samson rose up to the occasion to bail the team out of a difficult situation. The stumper-batter smashed 60 runs off just 32 deliveries and changed the complexion of the match. He hit Rashid Khan for three consecutive sixes, and that’s when things changed in Rajasthan’s favour. However, with the introduction of Noor Ahmed as an Impact Player, Gujarat tried hard to make a return, and they did to an extent as the spin wizard from Afghanistan sent Samson packing.

However, Shimron Hetmyer played a meticulous innings and eventually helped Rajasthan win the game by three wickets. The West Indies international smacked 56 runs off just 26 deliveries to help Rajasthan win their fourth match of the season and eventually help them retain their first position on the IPL 2023 Points Table.

Meanwhile, with the ball, Mohammed Shami picked up three wickets while Rashid picked up two. Nevertheless, it’s the second time in three matches that Gujarat failed to defend a good total on board. Last time, KKR chased it down, and this time, Hetmeyer blew them away. Thus, this is one area that the team management needs to address immediately.