Despite holding the status of a 'red-ball specialist' Wriddhiman Saha continues to prove his worth in the shortest format of the game. The Gujarat Titans wicket-keeper batter went all guns blazing in the match against Lucknow Super Giants, slamming a 20-ball half-century on Sunday. After an exciting outing with the bat for Gujarat, Saha committed a 'fashion crime' as he came out to the field while wearing trousers in reverse. The wicket-keeper batter took a little time to realise his mistake, but skipper Hardik Pandya and pacer Mohammed Shami's reactions proved how funny the situation was.
Saha looked in spectacular touch with the bat, scoring a 43-ball 81 to lay the foundation for GT's total of 227/2 in the match against LSG. Probably tired from his lengthy stay on the field, Saha didn't get enough time to check which was the right way to wear the trousers.
Here's the video:
After the match, Saha's opening partner Shubman Gill was full of praise for the veteran wicket-keeper batter, suggesting he wants to learn from the Bengal star's experience.
"Just to be able to share his (Saha) experience, I stand next to him at slip, it is phenomenal with the way he keeps going. He's been playing since the first IPL season," Gill said after the match.
"I didn't get much to bat in the first few overs but it is important to not get carried away with what your partner is doing. I had not hit sixes in the last two matches and today I struck a few, I always keep working on my skills," he added.
GT captain Hardik Pandya said the game was in balance for a long time.
"The way the game changed after that (Rashid's catch), at one point I thought the game was even-stevens and that catch was match-changing. We were both driving at 100kph as a team but that catch caused a bump in their chase," he said, referring to Rashid Khan's stunning catch to dismiss Kyle Mayers.
Saha has been in scintillating form for GT as he hit a 43-ball 81 and together with Gill (94 off 51) shared 142 runs in quick time for the opening wicket to hand the defending champions a comfortable 56-run win over Lucknow Super Giants here on Sunday. Both Gill looked set to raise their respective IPL centuries but fell short. The duo's partnership was six runs short of the best partnership for any wicket this season for any side.
In fact, the 142-run association between Gill and Saha was the best stand for any wicket for GT in their two-year history.
With PTI inputs