Gujarat Titans (GT) stunned the five-time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians (MI), with a narrow six-run victory on Sunday, March 24. Chasing a seemingly achievable target of 169, Mumbai’s batting collapsed dramatically after the dismissal of their experienced opener Rohit Sharma (43 off 29).

MI’s batting crumbles under pressure

Apart from Dewald Brevis (46 off 38), no other middle-order batter could step up and handle the pressure. A catastrophic collapse saw them lose seven wickets for a mere 53 runs, ultimately falling short of the target. Though their captain Hardik Pandya played some big shots in the end, he couldn’t salvage the chase.

For Titans, bowlers held their nerves to secure a win. Medium pacer Mohit Sharma provided crucial breakthroughs with two wickets in death overs. Experienced campaigner Umesh Yadav also displayed his magic, picking up the wickets of Hardik and Piyush Chawla on back to back deliveries despite being hammered for ten runs in the first two balls of the final over.

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Spenser Johnson redeems himself with Ashish Nehra’s guidance

Making his IPL debut, young Australian quick Spencer Johnson conceded 17 runs in his first over. However, he displayed exceptional resilience, adhering to head coach Ashish Nehra‘s advice to stay calm. Johnson bounced back spectacularly, claiming two big wickets in the 19th over and swinging the game back in favour of Gujarat.

“Absolutely incredible (feeling) to get the win in front of a full house is pretty special,” Johnson expressed to the official broadcaster after the match.

Acknowledging his coach’s words at the boundary rope, Johnson said: “Ash (Ashish Nehra) told me to be calm, you are going to win the game. What worked well for me was the hard length and keeping calm and not panicking and sticking to what I do well.”

The Titans will next face the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in an away game on Tuesday, March 26.

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