Gujarat Titans on Saturday defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets even as Virat Kohli returned to form with a well-served fifty. Harik Pandya dedicated his side’s emphatic win to the people of Gujarat.
Batting first, RCB made 170-6 in 20 overs as Virat Kohli finally returned to form. The former India skipper, who opened the innings for the RCB, made 58 from 53 balls. Rajat Patidar made 52 from 32 balls.
Gujarat Titans achieved the target with three balls to spare.
Reacting to his side’s win, Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya said, “That’s the beauty of this team, people coming in and showing what they can do in clutch situations is becoming quite a habit, something I don’t mind happening.”
He added, “Credit to their confidence level, the self-belief that they’re having, making sure they can finish games.”
Pandya, who himself hails from Gujarat dedicated the victory to the people of the western Indian state. He said, “This win is dedicated to the people of Gujarat, as it’s Gujarat Day tomorrow, thanks for all the love and wishes you’ve shown us. As I have played a lot in Maharashtra, happy Maharashtra day as well.”
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis said that his side was eyeing at a total of 175-180 but could only make fell short of 5-10 runs in the end. “We were trying to get to 175-180, the foundation was good, but they did bowl well in the middle overs, and I thought we were 5-10 runs short of a total which I felt was very good,” du Plessis said after the match.
Rahul Tewatia, who made 43 from 25 balls to secure the win for Gujarat Titans, was declared Player of the Match.