Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 21: The opening partnership of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan for the Gujarat Titans has etched its name in IPL history, showcasing a remarkable performance against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Monday.
After being invited to bat first, the duo forged a formidable 114-run partnership, showcasing their aggressive batting style and putting immense pressure on the KKR bowlers. This marks their sixth partnership of over 100 runs, tying them for the third-highest in IPL history.
Leading the record charts are Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers with ten such partnerships, followed by Chris Gayle and Kohli with nine. Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner, along with Faf du Plessis and Kohli, are tied with six each.
The Titans' opening pair began cautiously, countering the threats posed by Vaibhav Arora and Moeen Ali. Their first boundary came on the 12th ball when Sudharsan executed a powerful cut shot to find the boundary.
While Gill took his time to acclimatize to the pitch, Sudharsan quickly found his rhythm, hitting two boundaries in the subsequent over to boost the scoring rate. Gill, who was at 6 off 11 balls after four overs, began to find his footing against his former team.
He struck Harshit Rana for consecutive fours and greeted mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy with another boundary, helping GT finish the powerplay at 45 without loss. Following the powerplay, Gill unleashed a fierce attack on Moeen Ali.
With a clean strike, Gill danced down the pitch and sent the ball soaring over deep midwicket for a 78-meter six, followed by two more boundaries to keep the momentum going. Sudharsan also showcased his hitting prowess in the following overs.
In the 11th over, Gill nudged the ball for a single to secure his third fifty of the tournament, while Sudharsan celebrated his fifth half-century of the season with a six and a quick double.
As the Titans ramped up their scoring in the latter half of the innings, Kolkata finally broke through. Andre Russell bowled with intensity, generating extra bounce to dismiss Sudharsan, who edged the ball to Gurbaz, concluding their explosive 114-run partnership.
