But de Kock miscued an attempt to hit another six only to be caught in the deep
LSG’s Marcus Stoinis on reaching his half-century against GT at Lucknow yesterday. Pic/AFP
Lucknow Super Giants, after opting to bat, were hoping to get off to a flier in the night game yesterday. But Gujarat Titans’s veteran pacer Umesh Yadav struck two early blows to spoil the home team’s plan.
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The way in-form LSG opener Quinton de Kock hammered a second ball six off Yadav, it seemed the near-full house at the Ekana Stadium would get to see some fireworks. But de Kock miscued an attempt to hit another six only to be caught in the deep.
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If that setback wasn’t bad enough, in the next Yadav over, Devdutt Padikkal also fell in an attempt to play a forceful stoke. Slipping to 18-2 in only the third over was not the start LSG skipper KL Rahul had hoped for. From thereon it was a struggle for the LSG batters, be it Rahul, Marcus Stoinis or Nicholas Pooran. Runs were hard to come by as spinner Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed did not allow the home batters to score freely.
LSG struggled to 163-5 in their 20 overs on a sluggish pitch. Stoinis top-scored with 58 from 43 balls. Rahul too was not his fluent self as he scratched around for 31 balls and got 33 before he fell to young pacer Darshan Nalkande.
Pooran tried his best to get some quick runs against the restrictive bowling by Rashid and Noor. He remained unbeaten on 32 from 22 balls with three sixes. He helped LSG get to a total which will require some effective bowling by the home side to deny Gujarat Titans a win.
Brief scores
LSG 163-5 in 20 overs (M Stoinis 58, KL Rahul 33, N Pooran 32*; D Nalkande 2-21, U Yadav 2-22) v GT (scores incomplete)
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