 "IPL 2023: 'Real positive is seeing guys stand up at different times' - Trent Boult after RR stuns GT")
synopsis
IPL 2023: Rajasthan Royals lived up to its hype, shocking Gujarat Titans by three wickets in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Meanwhile, RR's Trent Boult was impressed with his side's players standing up to deliver at any given point.
Different players standing up at other times has been the positive aspect of former champion Rajasthan Royals' (RR's) "hungry" batting unit, said pace spearhead Trent Boult as the team topped the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) points table after beating defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT) at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The Royals beat the Titans by three wickets as they chased down the target of 178 with four balls remaining, thanks to impressive fightbacks from captain Sanju Samson (60) and Shimron Hetmyer (56 not out) after being down 4/2 in the third over. "We got some very talented batters in our side, and I think the real positive is seeing guys stand up at different times. It's different guys standing up at different times," said Boult at the post-match press conference.
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"Jos [Buttler] is a massive player for us, and I'm sure he'll be frustrated to miss out on some runs tonight. But the rest of the batting unit's hunger to contribute is amazing. Captain [Sanju Samson] absorbed a lot of pressure there. He chose the moment to try and push the game forward. Others nicely backed him up," said the 33-year-old Boult, who had an ordinary outing with figures of 1/46 from his full quota of four overs.
Asked about any turning point of the match, Boult said, "It's hard to pinpoint a particular moment in the game, but that's the nature of T20 cricket. You are never out of the game and believe you can win from anywhere. The number of meetings every team has, and our team specifically, and talks about tactics, it was nice to go out there and put some of the stuff in play," said the New Zealander.
On the bizarre catch he took to dismiss Titans opener Wriddhiman Saha, caught and bowled for his only wicket, Boult said, "One of those crazy ones, it goes high into the night sky. You can't hear anyone's call in this amazing crowd. Probably lucky, I was just at the right place and time."
Three fielders, including captain and wicketkeeper Samson, had converged after Saha skied a delivery from Boult, who plucked the ball after it popped out from the hands of one of the trio. He also lauded the Royals' spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa for applying constant pressure on the Titans' batters.
"Picking 12 overs of spin, they pulled it back very nicely and every over counts, but Sandy [Sandeep Sharma] closed that innings nicely. 175 [177], pretty good wicket, they bowled very well on it, showed us how to bowl with the lengths and some good swing on offer there," added Boult.
It was a significant win, considering the Royals had not beaten the Titans in three earlier matches. "The history between the Titans and us, they have got out number in that respect. In any game, we almost come from behind and absorb some pressure. Taking the game deep like that and being on the right side is very satisfying. There are some good vibes in the change room, and that feels good to come out on the right side of the result," concluded Boult.
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