Mumbai, April 14 : Captain Hardik Pandya batted with full responsibility as his unbeaten 87 helped Gujarat Titans (GT) to post 192/4 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in an IPL match here at the DY Patil Sports Academy on Thursday. Pandya’s brilliant 52-ball innings was studded with four maximums and eight boundaries. Put into bat first, GT got off to a decent start before RR stuck twice in the Powerplay. Opener Matthew Wade hammered Jimmy Neesham for three boundaries in the first over. Rassie van der Dussen took the revenge in the very next over with a brilliant direct throw which forced Wade to return to the dugout for 12. On a short and wide outside off delivery by Kuldeep Sen, Vijay Shankar walked back cheaply for 2. Soon after the Powerplay, Riyan Parag got the crucial wicket of Shubman Gill (13), reducing GT to 53/3. Pandya and Abhinav Manohar then got into rebuilding. While both were aggressively scoring for GT, Yuzvendra Chahal ended the 86-run partnership. The leg-spinner denied Manohar (43) a fifty as the GT batter was caught at short fine leg. Towards the end, David Miller (31 not out off 14) ably supported Pandya as the duo added 53 runs.
