Shubman Gill celebrates after Gujarat TItans win in IPL 2024© AFP
Umesh Yadav remained calm and bowled a brilliant final over to guide Gujarat Titans to a narrow win over Mumbai Indians in their opening match of IPL 2024 on Sunday. With 19 runs to defend, Hardik Pandya slammed the first two deliveries for a six and a boundary. However, Umesh came back strongly with two wickets in the next two balls, which proved to be crucial for his side. The experienced fast bowler revealed that he received a lot of support from both Gill and the team management despite conceding 10 runs in 2 balls. Gill also spoke to him and said he was doing well.
“Actually, I was standing still when Ashu dad said, ‘You bowl the last over’. When I gave away two boundaries, Shubman came to me and said, ‘Don’t worry, you are fine’. Then the captain and the support The staff believes in you, tough matches also seem easy and that works for me,” said Umesh.
“From what I saw, there was no point in bowling outside the stumps, so I tried bowling from stump to stump. So after two balls I was back to basics,” the veteran fast bowler added.
Umesh also said he was impressed by the maturity Gill showed in his very first match as captain. The fast bowler explained that Gill will only mature with more games as skipper and that he managed his bowling resources extremely well against a strong side like Mumbai Indians.
“It was his first game as captain but the maturity he showed and the way he played was brilliant. He talked to everyone, made plans and knew how to use his bowling resources. The more he plays, the more mature he becomes. He will be a brilliant captain,” concluded Umesh.
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