"It's A Marathon, Not Sprint": Kevin Pietersen After Gujarat Titans' Loss To Mumbai Indians In IPL 2022

Gujarat Titans suffered their third defeat of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season on Friday as the side failed to get over the line against Mumbai Indians. In the final over, Gujarat were unable to chase nine runs and as a result, Rohit Sharma and company emerged victorious. Gujarat Titans maybe at the top of the points table currently, but the side has lost back-to-back games. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen highlighted how skipper Hardik Pandya got it wrong at the toss during the game against Punjab Kings as well.

Pietersen also said that winning at the backend of the tournament matters and every team needs to peak at crucial junctures to cement a berth in the playoffs.

"Yeah, Daniel Sams would have thought he has no chance because of what Rahul Tewatia and David Miller have done in this year's IPL. But when you go and mess around with a game like the guys did at the DY Patil. We were there the other night and they chose to change things around because hey let's change things around because we have enough points. At the start of the tournament, they would not have thought that they would be in this position but they have built this position, negative thoughts that they would have had six weeks ago, well I can tell you something right now," Pietersen said on Star Sports after the game between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians.

"You lose a nail-bitter like tonight, you lose a game because of bit of a poor decision the other evening, what starts to happen in the dressing room? That negativity starts to seep in that room because you just start thinking at the big periods in the game, are we now getting it right or are we getting it wrong? It's a marathon, not a sprint. You want to be playing your best cricket now and winning your games now," he added.

In the game against Punjab Kings, Hardik Pandya had opted to bat first after winning the toss. Punjab went on to win that game comfortably by eight wickets.

Talking about Mumbai Indians-Gujarat Titans clash, the former batted first and posted 177/6 in 20 overs. Chasing 178, Gujarat Titans were cruising at one stage as openers Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill put on 106 runs for the opening wicket.

However, the 13th over bowled by Murugan Ashwin proved to be the game-changer as he dismissed both Gill and Saha. In the end, Gujarat Titans went on to suffer a five-run loss.

Topics mentioned in this article

Gujarat Titans Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma Kevin Pietersen Hardik Pandya IPL 2022 Cricket