Twitter Reactions: Hardik Pandya's all-round brilliance take GT atop the team standings

Skipper Hardik Pandya led his side from the front, scoring an unbeaten 87 alongside taking a wicket.

By Gaurav Tripathi

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Gujarat Titans
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Gujarat Titans. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

Fourth win for Gujarat Titans and they are now at the top of the IPL 2022 team standings. The Hardik Pandya-led side convincingly thrashed the in-form Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs in their latest assignment. Sanju Samson’s men endured a hard time chasing 193 and could only manage 155/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Skipper Hardik Pandya led his side from the front, scoring an unbeaten 87 alongside taking a wicket.

Earlier in the match, the coin landed in Rajasthan Royals’ favour, and skipper Sanju Samson elected to bowl first at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. The decision looked spot on as GT’s top order yet again failed to fire. While Matthew Wade was dismissed for 12, Vijay Shankar could only score two on his comeback. Even the in-form Shubman Gill was dismissed for a 14-ball 13.

Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans from the front

The repair work was then done by skipper Hardik Pandya and Abhinav Manohar. The duo played some delightful shots all over the park as the momentum shifted in GTs favour. Both batters played smart cricket as they were watchful against the challenging deliveries but didn’t miss out on dispatching the loose ones over the ropes.

Notably, Hardik, who has looked reluctant in his recent outings, was positive throughout the innings. While Manohar was dismissed for a quickfire 43, skipper Hardik remained unbeaten on 87 off 52 balls. David Miller also played a fine cameo, 31 off 14 balls, as GT posted 192/4 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, the Men in Pink got off to a flying start with Jos Buttler going all out from the word go. While the England international was at his destructive best at one end, he didn’t get much support. While opener Devdutt Padikkal bagged a golden duck, Ravichandran Ashwin, who was promoted to number three, scored a run-a-ball eight.

Buttler’s mayhem also came to an end as speedster Lockie Ferguson rattled his stumps, dismissing him for a 24-ball 54. It was one-way traffic since then as RR kept losing regular wickets and the required run-rate kept going upwards.

The likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, and Jimmy Neesham did play some good shots but their contribution could only narrow down the margin of defeat. Lockie Ferguson took three wickets as the Royals were restricted to 155/9, losing the contest by 37 runs.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitter reacted to GT’s triumph:

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