“Rohit Sharma, any day, any time,” Harbhajan Singh says when asked whether he would prefer bowl to Rohit or MS Dhoni. “A very difficult batsman to bowl to, a top-tier batting talent… There is no greater player than Rohit if he bats from start to finish.”
This IPL, Rohit has not exactly lived up to such promises. Scores of 1, 21, 65, 20, 28, and 44 are not awful, but they are for the weaker mortals. Greater things are expected of India and its captain, Mumbai Indians.
As they say, Rohit gets the starts, but conversions have eluded him, and he is frequently the first batsman to be dismissed as an opener, let alone batting until the end as Harbhajan wants. A strike rate of more than 142 is healthy, but it’s time he started hitting for greater numbers if his team wants to advance in the league.
On Monday evening, Rohit was seen batting at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where the Mumbai Indians will face the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday evening. He was the lone MI batsman at the center wicket, and the captain must be aware that his contribution at the top of the order is necessary.
Six points from six games is not a terrible start for a side that is typically slow to get going, but with the league halfway through, the four-time champions will be looking to their captain as well as some of their bowlers, particularly Jofra Archer, to come up. The club was out-batted by the Punjab Kings at home in their previous encounter, but the enslavement began until they had allowed more than 200 runs after opting to bowl.
However, allowing 214 runs was not the fault of Piyush Chawla, the franchise’s top bowler this season with nine wickets in six games, and he will have an edge at the Motera, his home field in domestic cricket. The veteran leggie expressed his delight at returning to Gujarat, which he has represented in the domestic circuit for the past six years.
“I’ve been playing cricket for so long that wherever I go feels like home,” the leg-break bowler said on the eve of the match. “I’ve already spent six years with Gujarat.” It’s a wonderful feeling to return home, but once on the field, you don’t worry about whether you’re playing for the home team or not. You want to make the finest first impression.”
Apart from Archer, who appears to have recovered from his elbow injury, Chawla will be the bowler that Gujarat Titans will be wary of. Last-over miracles have occurred twice this season for the defending champions, against the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Lucknow Super Giants. After being surprised by KKR’s Rinku Singh’s five sixes in the final over, the Titans did well to claim four wickets in the final over against LSG, thanks to Mohit Sharma.
“Our last victory in Lucknow was a huge one for us.” We have played some excellent cricket. Certain aspects can be improved. I don’t think we need to be concerned just yet. “It’s going to be a cracker of a game tomorrow,” said Titans coach David Miller, who obviously is in good spirits following the Lucknow jailbreak.
With two clubs in terrific form and stocked with power players in all areas, it is anticipated to be a cracker of a game in front of 100,000 people at the Narendra Modi Stadium, as Miller predicted.
What to expect: All three games at the venue have been won by pursuing teams. The lowest total in six innings here this season is 177, so expect another high-scoring game. In the evening, the temperature is forecast to be around 37 degrees, with no rain. Dew could play a significant impact in strategy and decision-making.
Head to head: The teams have only met once when GT failed to complete a run-chase with nine needed off the final over.
GT vs MI – Teams
Gujarat Titans
Back on a better pitch for the batters, GT is likely to bring back Alzarri Joseph in place of Noor Ahmad, who managed to make a mark on his full-time debut for the franchise in the last game.
Tactics & matchups: Rashid Khan has a favourable match-up against Rohit Sharma (21 balls, 23 runs, 3 dismissals) and is expected to bowl up top.
Probable XI: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Mohit Sharma.
Mumbai Indians
All eyes will be on Arjun Tendulkar who went for a fair few runs against Punjab Kings. Batting-wise, Dewald Brevis is again expected to warm the bench as the MI batting unit continues to come together well.
Tactics & matchups: Piyush Chawla, who impressed in the last game too, has gotten David Miller out twice. More importantly, Miller scores his runs against Chawla at a strike rate of only 89, so expect the leg spinner to have a go at the left-hander once again.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Tilak Varma, Arjun Tendulkar, Hrithik Shokeen, Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff
Did you know?
Since IPL 2020, Rahul Tewatia averages 58.50 and strikes at 195 against a left-arm pace.
Both Ishan Kishan and Tilak Verma strike at around 150 against leg spin since the start of the 2020 season.
What they had to say
“A lot of teams are already on eight points, but most of them have played seven games, while we have played six.” So, one more game here, and if we win, we’ll be back in the hunt. We’re not too far behind. But, obviously, we would like to win a few more games in the coming weeks.” – Mumbai Indians spinner Piyush Chawla
“Momentum is important in this competition. Coming back from a close loss in the last game gives us confidence for the upcoming games. Looking ahead 10 days, we have a couple of games back-to-back, so now is the time to step up.” – Mr. David Miller, Gujarat Titans batter
GT vs MI – Squads:
| Gujarat Titans | Mumbai Indians |
| Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya(c), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Joshua Little, Shivam Mavi, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Srikar Bharat, Sai Sudharsan, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Dasun Shanaka, Odean Smith, Darshan Nalkande, Urvil Patel, Yash Dayal | Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Tim David, Tilak Varma, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff, Nehal Wadhera, Ramandeep Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Shams Mulani, Vishnu Vinod, Riley Meredith, Sandeep Warrier, Duan Jansen, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Akash Madhwal, Arshad Khan, Raghav Goyal |
FAQ’s
GT vs MI live score refers to the real-time scorecard of the ongoing cricket match between the teams of Gladiators and Mumbai Indians.
GT vs MI stands for Gladiators vs Mumbai Indians, which is a cricket match between two teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Gladiators and Mumbai Indians are the two teams playing in the GT vs MI match.
The venue for the GT vs MI match depends on the fixture and the schedule of the IPL.
The GT vs MI match is a Twenty20 (T20) match, which is a short form of cricket where each team plays for 20 overs.
The date and time of the GT vs MI match depend on the schedule of the IPL.
Some of the key players to watch out for in GT vs MI are Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kieron Pollard.
The GT vs MI match can be watched live on television or through online streaming platforms.
It’s hard to predict the favorite team to win GT vs MI, as both teams have strong players and can perform well on their day.
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