Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden has called for a more cohesive approach from his batters after the team squandered a strong position to lose their second successive match in the Indian Premier League here.
Chasing 211 against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday night, Gujarat Titans appeared well on course at 107 for one in the 11th over. However, a middle-order collapse derailed the chase, with the side eventually slipping to 161 for seven.
The 78-run opening stand between Sai Sudharsan, who made 73 off 44 balls, and Kumar Kushagra (18 off 14) had provided the ideal platform, once again underlining the team’s heavy reliance on its top order.
Reflecting on the loss, Hayden said decision-making during the chase proved costly, particularly against leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who played a key role in shifting the momentum.
“Washy Sundar, he had a pretty big decision to make at that point around if you're going to attack someone like Bishnoi, who was on a roll.
“That was maybe a choice that he can look at and will look at as well in terms of just trying to be a little bit more cohesive in our run chases, because it has to be said there wasn't a lot that went wrong in that first 12 overs,” Hayden said.
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The dismissal of Washington Sundar was followed by a crucial run-out involving Shahrukh Khan, which further dented the hosts’ hopes.
“The run out (of Shahrukh Khan) was something that, again, was a decision which Shahrukh and Rashid had to make at the time. I haven't broken down that play because as a coach you tend to kind of look at the ball, but I'll be interested also to see the approach when we get back to vision of how that run was executed.
“It certainly looked at from the sideline that Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja, at the extra-cover boundary) bumped the ball quite a long way away from him and to regather, as we know, he's so quick and he's so good at getting and releasing the ball.
“But there's two wickets straightaway that would have been the difference. Again, we're talking about six runs. So those little things in T20 cricket, when you're chasing down a big total, which we were, they become vital in the decision-making process of a batting unit,” he added.
Searching for their first win of the season, Gujarat Titans will next face Delhi Capitals in an away fixture on Wednesday.
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