Rashid Khan’s masterclass powered Gujarat Titans to a miraculous comeback win against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday. Sent into bat first, the Royals seemed comfortable at 172/5 thanks to captain Sanju Samson’s 68. However, some sloppy death bowling saw the Titans roaring back into the contest.
Chasing 173, the Titans found themselves reeling at 46/3. But Shubman Gill kept them afloat with a valiant 72. Just when it seemed the Royals would cruise to an easy win, Rashid had other ideas. The star spinner smashed 24 off just 11 balls, including the winning six, to help the Titans sneak home with 3 wickets and 5 balls to spare in a nail-biting finale.
Earlier, Samson and Riyan Parag’s 130-run stand had boosted the Royals to a competitive total. But some wayward bowling at the death by Kuldeep Sen and Avesh Khan brought the Titans back from dead. Sen delivered a costly 20-run penultimate over while Khan went for 18 in the final over. Their struggles allowed Rashid and Rahul Tewatia to steal the show with some big hitting.
The Titans seemed down and out but Rashid’s brilliance along with some poor bowling at the death helped them turn the tables on a match that seemed to be drifting away from their grasp. In a dramatic turn of events, the Titans completed a miraculous comeback to hand the Royals their first loss.
