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April 23, 2022. Vijay Khel Maidan, Patra City.Match 35: Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders.First Innings.
The heat was stifling. 38 degrees Celsius. The white jerseys of the Gujarat Titans shimmered under the afternoon sun, but the pitch at the Vijay Khel Maidan wasn't behaving like the batting highway everyone expected. The surface was dry, tacky, and holding the ball just enough to mess with the timings.
Abhishek Sharma started with intent, cracking a boundary in the first over, but his aggression was cut short. Trying to loft Umesh Yadav over the infield, he mistimed it completely. Abhishek Sharma c Narine b Umesh 7 (5).
The crowd, chanting "Sheth Saheb", roared as I walked out at Number 3. It was early. The ball was still swinging.
Tim Southee, the wily Kiwi veteran, had the ball. He had his tail up. Shubman Gill was at the other end, looking watchful.
Over 2: Tim Southee. I took my guard. This wasn't a 250 pitch. This was a 170 pitch.
Ball 1.2: Southee ran in. Full, around off, tight line. I pressed forward and defended solidly. The ball hit the middle, but it didn't race away. The outfield was sluggish in the heat. No run.
Ball 1.3: Southee went for the outswinger, but he got the length a tad too full. I leaned into a controlled drive. I didn't try to hit the leather off it; I just placed it through extra cover. Mid-off tidied up to his left. 2 runs. Good running. Positive intent.
Ball 1.4:Ravi Shastri (Comms): "Oh, shot! That is pure class from the Captain. Stroke of nonchalance and authority." Southee bowled short of a length, shaping away a touch. I stood tall. I rose on my toes and punched it on the up. It wasn't a slash; it was a punch. The ball pierced the gap at backward point like a laser. FOUR.
Ball 1.5: Southee tried to correct his line but sprayed it down leg. Wide.
Ball 1.5 (Reload):Matthew Hayden (Comms): "Intentions clear from Aarav. He is going to counterpunch!" Southee bowled it in the slot. Too full. I cleared my front leg slightly and lofted it over the infield. It wasn't a slog; it was a lofted drive. It cleared extra cover easily and bounced into the rope. FOUR.
Ball 1.6: Chaos. I stepped out, giving the charge. Southee saw me and cramped me for room. The ball hit my ribs. It trickled to the bowler. I was out of my crease, in pain. Southee had a shy at the stumps. He missed. No run.
End of Over 2.GT: 18/1.
Over 3 to 6. The KKR bowlers—Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, and Tim Southee bowled disciplined lines. Shubman Gill was struggling to find his timing. He hit a couple of boundaries but consumed a lot of dot balls.
I kept the scoreboard ticking.
Over 3.1: Clipped Southee through square leg for 2 runs. Over 4.1: Steered Mavi behind point for 1 run.
Over 6: Shivam Mavi. I was on 19. I needed to end the Powerplay on a high.
Ball 6.3: Mavi bowled back of a length. Pace on. I didn't back away. I just arched my back. The Ramp Shot. Nonchalant. Using the pace. The ball flew over the slip cordon and sailed over the third man boundary. SIX!
Ian Bishop (Comms): "He makes it look so easy! Just a little arch of the back, and it sails into the crowd. Aarav Pathak is playing a different game on this sticky surface!"
Ball 6.4: Mavi overcorrected. Full, outside off. I drove it booming through extra cover. FOUR.
GT Powerplay: 45/1. Solid, but not explosive.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy came on. The pitch was gripping. Gill was bogged down. He eventually fell in the 9th over, trying to force the pace against Narine. Shubman Gill b Narine 25 (25).GT: 65/2.
Heinrich Klaasen joined me. We needed to rebuild.
Over 7: Shivam Mavi. I tucked him for a single.
Over 7.1: Varun Chakravarthy. The mystery spinner. I decided to attack him immediately. He bowled quicker outside off. I stood tall and lofted him over wide long-off. Effortless. SIX.
Gautam Gambhir (Comms): "That is the release shot. Varun missed his length by inches, and Aarav punished him. But look at the pitch; the ball is stopping. It's not easy to hit through the line."
We rotated strike. Singles and twos. I reached my 50 in the 12th over with a punch to long-on. 50 off 38 balls. It was a gritty, responsible innings. Not the blitzkrieg of the previous games, but exactly what the team needed.
Heinrich Klaasen played a cameo. He hit two massive sixes off Chakravarthy but perished trying to hit a third. Klaasen c Russell b Chakravarthy 27 (20).GT: 105/3.
Over 14: Varun Chakravarthy. I was on 60. David Miller had joined me. I tried to accelerate. Ball 1: Short ball. I pulled it into the gap. FOUR.Ball 2: Cut to deep cover. 2 Runs.
Over 15.1: Narine. I punched to long-on. 1 Run.
By the 17th over, I was on 67. I was tired. The heat was draining. Tim Southee came back.
Ball 17.2: Southee bowled a slower short ball. Into the pitch. I saw it. I went for the pull. But the lack of pace undid me. I was through the shot too early. I didn't get the meat of the bat. The ball flew towards deep mid-wicket. Andre Russell ran in, dived forward, and took a brilliant low catch.
Aarav Pathak c Russell b Southee 67 (49)(4 Fours, 2 Sixes)
Ravi Shastri (Comms): "The Captain goes! A magnificent knock comes to an end. On a difficult pitch, he held the innings together. 67 off 49. He wanted to finish it, but the slower ball did the trick. Gujarat are 135/4."
I walked off, raising my bat to a standing ovation. The crowd knew the value of those runs.
But after I left, the wheels came off.
David Miller (17 off 12) tried to hit Mavi and was caught. Rinku Singh (0 off 2) faced two balls from Andre Russell. Russell bowled a searing yorker first up. Then a bouncer. Rinku gloved it to the keeper. Rahul Tewatia (2 off 4) couldn't get going against Narine. Rashid Khan (0) run out. Josh Hazlewood (0) bowled.
From 135/3, we collapsed to 156/9. We lost 6 wickets for 21 runs in the last 3 overs.
Final Score:Gujarat Titans: 156/9 (20 Overs).
Star Sports Studio.
Jatin Sapru: "156. Is it enough? After the highs of 283, this feels like a crash landing."
Gautam Gambhir: "It is a reality check. The pitch is tough, yes. But the lower order collapse is worrying. Once Aarav got out, nobody took responsibility. Miller, Rinku, Tewatia... they all panicked. 156 is 20 runs short."
Matthew Hayden: "I think it's defendable. The pitch is sticky. If Gujarat bowls well, if Rashid and Kuldeep spin it... KKR will struggle. But Aarav played a gem. Without his 67, they wouldn't have crossed 130."
Ravi Shastri: "The heat played a part. The boys looked drained at the end. But now, the bowlers need to step up. They have defended 160 before. Can they defend 156?"
I sat in the dressing room, icing my neck. "156," I said to the team. "It's not 200. But it's a total. This pitch is slow. We fight."
Ashish Nehra nodded. "Spin to win, boys. Rashid, Kuldeep... time to earn your paycheck."
We walked out to defend. The white jerseys were stained with sweat and dirt. The "Sheth" had done his job. Now, the soldiers had to hold the fort.
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In the dressing room, Ashish Nehra was pacing. He didn't shout. He didn't look angry. He looked calculating. "156," Nehra said, stopping in the middle of the room. "On a highway, it's nothing. On this pitch? With the heat? It's 180."
He looked at the bowling group. Rashid Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Josh. And me. "The ball is stopping," Nehra continued. "If we bowl back of a length, they can't hit us. If we bowl spin, they can't hit us. We fight for every run."
We walked out. The heat was still oppressive, but the sun had dipped slightly, casting long shadows across the lush outfield. The crowd, 60,000 strong, rose as one. They didn't care about the low score. They cared about the fight. The chant began, low and rhythmic, shaking the foundations of the stadium.
"SHETH SAHEB! SHETH SAHEB!"
It was a war cry.
Sunil Narine and Sam Billings walked out to open for KKR. It was a classic KKR tactic. Send Narine up top to disrupt the lengths, to swing hard in the Powerplay. If he comes off, he kills the chase in six overs. If he gets out, it's just a wicket. Billings was the stabilizer.
I took the new ball. I looked at the pitch. It was dry. The cracks were visible.
I marked my run-up. Over 1.
Ian Bishop (Comms): "Here we go. 157 to win. It sounds easy, but this pitch is a minefield. Aarav Pathak has the new ball. The crowd is deafening. Listen to that noise! They are calling him 'The Boss', 'The Sheth'. He has to defend his territory now."
Ball 1: Sunil Narine took guard. High backlift. No footwork. Just eye and hands. I ran in. I didn't hold back. 144 kmph. Back of a length, angling into the body. Narine cleared his front leg blindly. He swung. He got an inside edge onto the pads. The ball rolled to square leg. They scrambled a single. 1 Run.
Ball 2: Sam Billings on strike. Technologically sound, busy player. I bowled a length ball outside off, shaping away. Billings pushed it to cover. Dot Ball.
Ball 3: I went fuller. Billings leaned forward and drove. It wasn't a power shot; it was a check-drive. Dot Ball.
Ball 4: Billings on strike. I rolled my fingers. A cutter at 128 kmph. Billings read it late. He defended awkwardly. Dot Ball.
Ball 5: I went back to pace. 148 kmph. Billings steered it to third man. 1 Run.
Ball 6: Narine on strike. He wanted a boundary to end the over. I bowled short. Narine pulled. It was an ugly, cross-batted swat. But he connected. The ball flew over mid-wicket. It didn't go all the way, but it bounced just inside the rope. FOUR.
End of Over 1. KKR: 6/0.
Ravi Shastri (Comms): "A steady start. Narine gets a boundary, but he looks uncomfortable against the high pace. Aarav is hitting the deck hard. 6 runs off the first over. Game on."
Over 2: Arshdeep Singh.
I threw the ball to the left-armer. "Swing it," I told him. "Billings plays away from his body."
Sam Billings was on strike. He looked eager to get the run rate down.
Ball 1: Arshdeep swung it away. Billings missed.
Ball 2: Arshdeep brought the angle in. Billings tried to flick it over square leg. He closed the face of the bat too early. The ball gripped the surface. Leading Edge. The ball looped up in the air towards mid-off. Aarav Pathak (me) ran back from inside the circle. I kept my eyes on the ball, ignoring the sun. I cupped it safely.
Sam Billings c Aarav b Arshdeep 4 (5)KKR: 7/1.
The stadium erupted. The first blow was struck.
Sunil Gavaskar (Comms): "And there is the wicket! Arshdeep Singh provides the breakthrough! Billings tried to force it against the angle. On this pitch, playing across the line is fraught with danger. Gujarat Titans have their tails up!"
Shreyas Iyer, the KKR Captain, walked out at Number 3. He looked composed. He took a single off the first ball to get off the mark. Narine survived the rest of the over. KKR: 10/1 (2 Overs).
Over 3.
Usually, I bowl one over upfront and then save myself for the middle or death. But today, I felt a rhythm. And I saw Narine. Narine was the danger. If he stayed for 4 overs, he could score 40 runs and kill the chase.
I kept the ball. Aarav Pathak to continue.
Gautam Gambhir (Comms): "This is a surprise! Usually, Aarav bowls one and changes ends, or brings on Josh. But he is continuing. He smells wicket. He wants Narine. He knows if he gets Narine now, KKR's momentum is broken."
Ball 1: Sunil Narine on strike. I changed my angle. Around the wicket. Targeting the stumps. 146 kmph. Narine backed away. I followed him. He was cramped. He blocked it back to me. Dot Ball.
Ball 2: I stayed around the wicket. I bowled a heavy ball, hitting the splice. Narine tried to fend it off. It jarred his hands. He looked at his bat, shaking his head. The pace was troubling him. Dot Ball.
Ball 3: I went over the wicket. 149 kmph. Full, swinging in. Narine swung blindly. He missed by a foot. The ball thudded into Heinrich Klaasen gloves. Klaasen collected it and threw it up. "Bowling, Skipper! He has no clue!"
Ball 4: Narine was frustrated. He is a 'see ball, hit ball' player. Three dots were suffocating him. I saw him shuffle. He was going to swing across the line come what may.
I ran in. I didn't hold anything back. I hit the crease with the force of a train. My arm came over like a whip. 155.2 kmph.
It was a yorker. But not just a yorker. It was a laser-guided missile aimed at the base of the middle stump. Narine saw the ball release. He started his downswing. But the ball was traveling faster than his neural impulses could process. By the time his bat came down from that high backlift, the ball had already passed the crease.
CRASH.
It was the sound of destruction. The middle stump didn't just fall back; it split. The LED bails exploded into the air, flashing red like a distress signal. The ball ricocheted off the stump and flew to the boundary for four byes (dead ball technically, but visually stunning).
Sunil Narine b Aarav 5 (7)KKR: 10/2.
I didn't run. I didn't celebrate. I stood at the top of the follow-through, staring at the broken wicket. Then I turned to the crowd. I raised both hands, palms facing up. Are you not entertained?
The roar was deafening. "SHETH SAHEB! SHETH SAHEB!"
Ian Bishop (Comms): "OH, HE HAS DESTROYED THE TIMBER! LOOK AT THAT PACE! 155 clicks on the gun! Sunil Narine was late, late, late! Aarav Pathak has just bowled one of the balls of the tournament! The stump is broken! The KKR strategy is in ruins! What a bowler! What a captain!"
Ravi Shastri (Comms): "That is serious heat! You can talk about spin, you can talk about variations, but nothing beats 155kmph at the base of the stumps! Narine didn't even see it! The crowd has gone berserk! Patra City is rocking!"
Nitish Rana walked out at Number 4. He looked at the broken stump being replaced by the groundsman. It was a psychological blow before he even faced a ball.
I was pumped. My veins were popping. But I needed to finish the over.
Ball 5: Rana took guard. I ran in. 150 kmph. Back of a length. Rana did well. He rose on his toes and defended with soft hands, dropping the ball at his feet. Dot Ball.
Ball 6: I went full, searching for the inswinger to the left-hander. Rana leaned forward and pushed it to mid-off. Dot Ball.
End of Over 3.KKR: 10/2.Wicket Maiden.
Gautam Gambhir (Comms): "A wicket maiden in the third over defending 156. That is gold. That is captaincy excellence. Aarav backed himself, brought himself back, and delivered the knockout punch to the pinch-hitter strategy. KKR are 10 for 2, and the required rate is climbing."
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KKR was reeling at 10/2. Shreyas Iyer, the captain, stood at the non-striker's end, looking like a man trying to solve a calculus problem while his house was on fire. Nitish Rana was on strike.
I walked to Arshdeep Singh. "They are rattled," I said, handing him the ball. "Don't give them width. Make them hit to the big boundaries."
Arshdeep nodded, adjusting his headband. "Stump to stump, Paaji."
Over 4: Arshdeep Singh.
Ball 1: Arshdeep came around the wicket to the left-handed Rana. He bowled a length ball, angling away. Rana pushed it defensively to cover. Dot Ball.
Ball 2: Arshdeep went fuller. Rana drove. It wasn't timed well. The pitch was tacky. The ball plugged in the infield. 1 Run.
Ball 3: Wide
Ball 3: Wide Again
Ball 3: Shreyas Iyer on strike. He needed to anchor. Arshdeep bowled a cutter. Iyer read it and worked it to mid-wicket. 2 Runs.
Ball 4: Iyer tried to step out to negate the swing. Arshdeep saw him and pulled the length back. It hit the splice of the bat. 1 Run.
Ball 5: Rana tried to release the pressure with a pull shot. He mistimed it completely. It fell short of deep square leg. 2 Runs.
Ball 6: Single to end the over.
End of Over 4.KKR: 19/2.7 runs off the over.
Ravi Shastri (Comms): "Gujarat won't mind these singles. The required rate is climbing. KKR needs boundaries, but the pitch isn't allowing them to hit through the line. Arshdeep is bowling smart cricket."
Over 5: Rashid Khan.
I brought on the ace. Rashid Khan in the Powerplay. The crowd roared as the Afghan wizard marked his run-up.
Ball 1: Shreyas Iyer on strike. Rashid bowled a quick leg-break. Iyer defended. Dot.
Ball 2: Googly. Iyer picked it late and hurriedly chopped it to point. Dot.
Ball 3: Iyer finally got a single to long-on.
Ball 4: Nitish Rana on strike. Rashid fired it in flat. Rana cut it past point. 2 Runs.
Ball 5: Rana tried to sweep. He missed. Huge appeal for LBW. Umpire said no. Impact outside off. Dot.
Ball 6: Rana smashed a full toss to deep mid-wicket. 4 Runs.
End of Over 5.KKR: 26/2.7 runs off the over.
Matthew Hayden (Comms): "Rashid is rushing them. Even the boundary was a mis-hit. KKR is going at 5 runs an over in a chase of 157. That is asking for trouble."
Over 6: Arshdeep Singh.
This was the last over of the fielding restrictions. KKR needed to attack. Nitish Rana decided he was the man.
Ball 1: Arshdeep bowled a knuckleball. Rana swung way too early. Missed. Dot.
Ball 2: Arshdeep went wide. Rana slashed. Missed again. Dot.
The pressure was visible. Rana was twitching.
Ball 3: Arshdeep bowled a perfect length ball on off stump. Rana tried to manufacture a shot. He tried to loft it over mid-off. But the ball stopped on him. He didn't get to the pitch. The bat turned in his hand. The ball looped high in the air. Rahul Tewatia at mid-off didn't even have to move. He took it like a catching practice drill.
Nitish Rana c Tewatia b Arshdeep 18 (20)
Sunil Gavaskar (Comms): "And the pressure tells! Rana tries to force the pace on a pitch that demands patience. Arshdeep deceived him with the lack of pace. KKR are three down inside the Powerplay. They are in deep, deep trouble."
Venkatesh Iyer walked out. The tall left-hander. He played out three dots to end the over.
We huddled. The start was perfect. We had strangled them.
Over 7: Kuldeep Yadav.
I threw the ball to Kuldeep Yadav. He was bowling against his old team. The team that had benched him. The team that had broken his confidence. He looked hungry.
Ball 1:Shreyas Iyer was on strike. The KKR Captain. Kuldeep ran in. He didn't flight it too much. He bowled a flatter trajectory, drifting into the pads. Iyer went back to work it to the leg side. He misjudged the length. It was fuller than he thought. The ball skidded off the patch. It hit him on the back pad, right in front of middle stump.
"HOWZAT!"
Kuldeep screamed. I screamed. The umpire raised his finger instantly. OUT.
Iyer reviewed immediately, more out of hope than conviction. Replay: Pitching: In Line. Impact: In Line. Wickets: HITTING.
Shreyas Iyer lbw b Kuldeep 12 (15)KKR: 29/4.
The stadium erupted. Kuldeep roared, punching the air. I ran to him and hugged him. "You beauty! First ball! You got the Captain!"
Gautam Gambhir (Comms): "That is the wicket Gujarat wanted! Shreyas Iyer, the best player of spin in this lineup, is gone first ball to Kuldeep! It's the skidder that did him. On this track, you cannot play off the back foot to full balls. KKR is sinking fast."
Anukul Roy walked out. A surprise promotion? Or just running out of batsmen? He joined Venkatesh Iyer. Two left-handers.
What followed was a painful period of play for Kolkata Knight Riders. I kept Rashid Khan and Kuldeep Yadav in tandem. The pitch was turning. It was gripping. Venky Iyer and Anukul Roy couldn't get the ball off the square.
Over 8 (Rashid): 3 Runs. Over 9 (Kuldeep): 4 Runs. Over 10 (Rashid): 2 Runs. Over 11 (Kuldeep): 3 Runs.
The crowd was cheering every dot ball. The "Sheth Saheb" chant was rhythmic, mocking the KKR batsmen.
Ian Bishop (Comms): "This is suffocation. KKR hasn't hit a boundary for 40 balls. The strike rate is below 100 for both batsmen. They are just poking and prodding. Aarav Pathak has set attacking fields—slip, silly point—and the spinners are landing it on a coin."
Over 14: Rashid Khan.
Venkatesh Iyer knew he had to hit. He was on 20 off 28 balls. A painful innings. Ball 3: Rashid bowled a googly. Venky Iyer stepped out. He tried to slog sweep over mid-wicket. He didn't pick the wrong 'un. The ball turned away from his bat. It crashed into the off-stump.
Venkatesh Iyer b Rashid 20 (30)KKR: 75/5.
Ravi Shastri (Comms): "Put him out of his misery! That was a torture session for Venkatesh Iyer. Rashid Khan ends it. Gujarat are tightening the noose."
Andre Russell walked out. The Dre Russ. The only man who could win it from here. The crowd went silent for a second. If Russell stayed for 20 balls, the game could turn.
I walked up to Kuldeep. "KD," I said. "This is your moment. Russell is here. He will come hard. Toss it up. Make him reach." Kuldeep nodded. "I'll get him, Skip."
Ball 1:Anukul Roy on strike. Kuldeep bowled a wrong 'un. Anukul tried to cut. Edge. Heinrich Klaasentook a sharp catch.
Anukul Roy c Klaasen b Kuldeep 18 (25)KKR: 78/6.
Ball 2:Andre Russell on strike. The matchup everyone was waiting for. Kuldeep vs Russell. Kuldeep had been smashed by Russell in the past. But today was different. Kuldeep tossed it up. Wide outside off. Slower. 75 kmph. Russell saw the flight. He saw the width. He didn't wait. He went for the boom. He swung with all his might, aiming for long-off. But the ball spun away. It dipped. Russell was reaching. He sliced it. The ball went high in the air towards deep point.
Abhishek Sharma ran in from the boundary. He kept his eyes on the ball. He dived forward. He took it!
Andre Russell c Abhishek b Kuldeep 0 (1)KKR: 78/7.
Sunil Gavaskar (Comms): "HE'S GONE! FIRST BALL DUCK FOR RUSSELL! Kuldeep Yadav has vanquished his demons! He tossed it up, he invited the big shot, and he got the big fish! Look at the emotion on Kuldeep's face! He is roaring! KKR are dead and buried!"
I ran to Kuldeep and lifted him up. He was screaming. It was redemption.
KKR: 80/7 (15 Overs).Need: 77 off 30. It was over.
Umesh Yadav and Shivam Mavi delayed the inevitable. They hit a few boundaries off Josh and Aarav in the 16th and 17th overs, but the target was too far.
Over 19: Aarav Pathak.
I came back to finish my spell. Shivam Mavi was on strike.
Ball 2:151 kmph. Full and straight. Mavi tried to back away and hit over covers. He missed. Stumps shattered.
Shivam Mavi b Aarav 15KKR: 120/8.
Ball 4:Umesh Yadav on strike. Bouncer. Umesh ducked. Ball 5: Yorker. Umesh dug it out.
Over 20: Josh Hazlewood.
Ball 1: Tim Southee holed out to long-on. Caught by Miller. Tim Southee c Miller b Hazlewood.
KKR: 125/9.
Ball 3:Umesh Yadav tried to slog. Hazlewood hit the top of off stump. Bowled.
Kolkata Knight Riders All Out: 128.
GUJARAT TITANS WIN BY 29 runs.
Ravi Shastri (Comms): "A comprehensive, dominant performance from the Gujarat Titans! They defended 156 as if it were 200. The spin twins, Rashid and Kuldeep, were magical in the middle overs, but the start provided by Aarav and Arshdeep was crucial. 5 Wins in a row. They are the team to beat."
Ian Bishop (Comms): "Look at Kuldeep Yadav. He is crying. Aarav Pathak is hugging him. That is the story of the match. A player rejected by KKR, coming back to destroy them. That is the beauty of sport."
I walked to the presentation. Player of the Match:Aarav Pathak. (67 runs & 3 Wickets).
Harsha Bhogle: "Aarav, you seem to enjoy these low-scoring thrillers as much as the high-scoring ones."
Aarav: "I love them more, Harsha. When you score 280, the bowlers can relax. When you defend 156, every ball matters. The character of the team showed today. Kuldeep... I am so proud of him. He asked for the ball against Russell, and he delivered."
Bhogle: "7 out of 7. Is it too early to talk about playoffs?"
Aarav: "It's never too early. But we take it one game at a time. Tonight, we celebrate. "
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April 27, 2022. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.Match 40: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans.Pre-Match.
Victory is a dangerous drug. After seven wins in a row, the taste of it had become routine. We walked into hotels like we owned them. We boarded Titans Force One with the swagger of rockstars. The "Fast Cricket" philosophy had worked so perfectly that we had forgotten what it felt like to struggle.
We were 7-0. Top of the table. Net Run Rate through the roof. Just two wins away from a playoff berth with seven games still to play. The media called us "The Invincibles." The fans called us "The Golden Team."
And somewhere in that noise, we stopped looking at the opposition. We started looking at the records.
We arrived in Hyderabad, the home of biryani and the Orange Army. For Rashid Khan and Abhishek Sharma, it was a return to their old stomping ground. They were smiling, waving to the crowd. We were relaxed. Too relaxed.
Kane Williamson won the toss. "We'll bat first," Kane said softly. "Looks like a good wicket. Put runs on the board."
I shrugged. "We chase. We love chasing." I didn't say it with the usual intensity. I said it with the casual confidence of a man who thought the result was inevitable.
The Sunrisers batted with a point to prove. They were in the middle of the table, fighting for scraps. Priyam Garg
Kane Williamson
Let's go with Kane Williamson and Priyam Garg. They started steadily. Aarav and Arshdeep Singh kept them quiet in the Powerplay. Powerplay: 42/1.
But in the middle overs, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran played beautifully. They didn't try to hit Rashid and Kuldeep out of the ground; they rotated the strike. They respected the good balls. They built a platform. 15 Overs: 125/3.
We thought we had them. 170 was par. We could chase 170 in our sleep.
The 20th Over Nightmare
Score: 170/5 (19 Overs). Bowler: Josh Hazlewood. Batsman: Shashank Singh.
Shashank Singh was a domestic journeyman. He was batting on 5. Josh Hazlewood is a world-class Test bowler. I threw him the ball. "Finish it, Josh. Keep them under 180." Josh nodded. Standard procedure.
Ball 1: Hazlewood missed his yorker by an inch. Low full toss. Shashank cleared his front leg. He whipped it over deep mid-wicket. SIX.
Ball 2: Hazlewood went for the wide yorker. Shashank anticipated it. He shuffled across and sliced it over point. FOUR.
Ball 3: Hazlewood tried a bouncer. Shashank hooked. Top edge. It flew over the keeper. FOUR.
The momentum shifted violently. The crowd in Hyderabad was going berserk. A localized storm was brewing in the last over.
Ball 4: Hazlewood went back to the hard length. Shashank pulled it flat. SIX.
Ball 5: Hazlewood lost his composure. Full toss. Shashank smashed it straight down the ground. FOUR.
Ball 6: Single.
25 Runs off the final over. Hazlewood walked off, face red, kicking the turf. SRH Finished: 195/6.
Ravi Shastri (Comms): "That is a game-changing over! 170 was chaseable. 195? That is a mountain! Shashank Singh has played a cameo for the ages! He has taken one of the best bowlers in the world apart! Momentum is wearing Orange!"
I walked back to the dugout. 195. It was the highest score conceded by us this season. "It's fine," I said to the team, clapping my hands. "Good wicket. We have the firepower. Let's go Boys."
But the voice in my head whispered: 195 is a lot.
Target: 196.Required Rate: 9.8.
Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill walked out. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took the new ball. The master of swing against his old teammate.
Over 1: Bhuvi bowled a beautiful shape. Outswing. Inswing. Gill nicked one that fell short of slip. 3 Runs.
Over 2: Marco Jansen. Pace and bounce. Abhishek tried to attack. He hit a four, then got hit on the helmet. 7 Runs.
Over 3: Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bhuvi came back. Ball 3: He bowled the knuckleball. Shubman Gill was early into the drive. He chipped it straight to mid-on. Gill c Williamson b Bhuvneshwar 8.GT: 15/1.
Ian Bishop (Comms): "First blood to Hyderabad! Bhuvi deceives Shubhman Gill! The change of pace was undetectable. Gujarat are under pressure early."
I walked out at Number 3. The crowd booed. They remembered the carnage I inflicted on SRH in the home leg. I marked my guard. Target 196.
Over 4: T. Natarajan. I decided to counter-attack. I stepped out and lofted him over extra cover for FOUR. Next ball, I pulled him for SIX.
Over 5: I faced Kartik Tyagi. Fast. 145kmph. I used his pace. I ramped him for SIX. Then I drove him for FOUR.
I raced to 31 off 19 balls. The run rate was under control. I felt good.
GT: 55/1 (5.5 Overs).
Over 6: Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kane brought Bhuvi back for a third over in the Powerplay. A gamble.
Ball 6: I was on strike. 20th ball I was facing. I wanted to finish the Powerplay with a boundary. Bhuvi ran in. He didn't bowl the swing ball. He didn't bowl the knuckleball. He bowled a Wobble Seam delivery. It pitched on off-stump. I stayed back to punch it. The ball jagged back in sharply and stayed low. The "Highveld Shooter" in Hyderabad.
My bat came down. But the ball hit the inside edge. It crashed into the stumps.
Aarav Pathak b Bhuvneshwar 31 (20)GT: 55/2.
I stood there, frozen. I had been set up. Bhuvi celebrated with a roar. The SRH dugout was jumping. They knew. They knew they had the big fish.
Sunil Gavaskar (Comms): "The Captain goes! Bhuvi wins the battle! He kept him guessing, and then slipped in the nip-backer! Aarav looks frustrated. He got a start, but 31 doesn't win you a chase of 196. This is a massive moment in the game!"
After I left, the panic set in. We needed stability. But Bhuvi and Natarajan didn't give us any.
David Miller walked out. He faced Marco Jansen. Miller edged a wide one to the keeper. GT: 68/3.
Abhishek Sharma (25) tried to take on Washington Sundar and holed out to deep mid-wicket. GT: 85/4.
Heinrich Klaasen and Rinku Singh tried to rebuild. They added 40 runs. But the required rate climbed. 12. 14. 16.
Over 17: Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bhuvi came back for his final over. He was on 2 wickets. Ball 1: Klaasen tried to slog. Caught at long-on. Wicket No. 3.
Ball 3:Rahul Tewatia came in. Knuckleball. Tewatia spooned it to cover. Wicket No. 4.
Ball 6:Rashid Khan tried to play the helicopter shot against his friend. Bhuvi bowled a wide yorker. Edge to keeper. Wicket No. 5.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 4-0-28-5.
Harsha Bhogle (Comms): "Five wickets for the Swing King! He has dismantled the Titans! A masterclass in T20 bowling. Swing upfront, variations at the death. He has single-handedly broken the unbeaten streak!"
The tail wagged briefly, but it was futile. Gujarat Titans: 168/8 (20 Overs).
Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 27 Runs.
The stadium erupted. Fireworks went off. The Orange flags waved frantically. For the first time in the tournament, the Gujarat Titans walked off the field with their heads down.
I walked to the handshake line. I shook hands with Kane Williamson. "Well played, Kane," I said, the words tasting like ash. "Bhuvi was special tonight," Kane smiled gently.
I reached Bhuvneshwar Kumar. "You got me," I admitted. "Pitch helped," Bhuvi winked. "Good knock though."
Post-Match Presentation.
Ravi Shastri: "Aarav, first loss. How does it feel?"
Aarav: "It stings. We let them score too many runs. Personally, I wasn't at the standard I set for myself. I didn't contribute much as a player just one wicket and I couldn't make a significant impact with the bat either. Then Bhuvi... he showed us why he's a legend. We were outplayed today."
We walked into the dressing room. Usually, there is music. There is pizza. There is laughter. Tonight, there was dead silence. The players sat in their spots, unstrapping pads, staring at the floor. Josh Hazlewood looked devastated, his head in his hands. Abhishek was angry with himself.
I walked to the center of the room. "Head up, Josh," I said sharply. Hazlewood looked up. "One bad over doesn't define you. You won us several games before this."
I looked at the team. "Listen to me. We lost. It happens. We are 7-1, not 1-7. We are still top of the table."
I pointed to the whiteboard where our wins were listed. "Nobody goes undefeated in the IPL. It's a beast of a tournament. Today, SRH was better. Today, Bhuvi was better. We accept it."
I paused. "But we don't accept the feeling. Remember this feeling. The silence. The disappointment. Remember it so you don't feel it again."
Ashish Nehra stood up. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't angry. "Pizza is here," Nehra said calmly. "Eat. Recover. We fly tomorrow. The streak is broken, but the goal hasn't changed. We want the cup."
The mood lifted slightly. A slice of pizza fixes a lot of things. But as I sat in the bus later, looking out at the Hyderabad lights, I felt the mortality of the team. We could bleed. And now the rest of the league knew it too.
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