IPL 2024: 3 changes Gujarat Titans should make to get back to winning ways

In the 7th match of the Indian Premier League 2024, Gujarat Titans faced defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings at the M.A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. It was a big defeat for the young captain, Shubman Gill and his team at the home of the defending champions. The 2022 winners have a lot of questions to answer ahead of their next game. 

Gujarat Titans would now be facing the Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home in Ahmedabad on Sunday, 31st March. It is the first-day game for both sides and would be looking to make the most of the day conditions. A lot of unanswered questions are awaiting Shubman Gill and Head Coach Ashish Nehra before they come into their third game of the season.

There are still a lot of questions about the starting XI and the gaping hole left by their former skipper Hardik Pandya. The form of some of their key players is also a thing that needs to be accounted for by the team management. Let’s take a look at some of the changes that Gujarat Titans need to make after their heavy defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings.

Let's look at the 3 changes that Gujarat Titans should make ahead of their next game against SRH:

1. Start Kartik Tyagi ahead of Umesh Yadav

The absence of Mohammed Shami is also a thing that is hurting the Gujarat Titans a lot this season. He was amongst the highest wicket-taking players for the side last season and his wickets early in the innings used to help out the side a lot. His injury has forced him to be ruled out for the season.

The team and the fans were happy with the signing of Umesh Yadav in the auctions and were hopeful that he could do the same damage as Shami. However, that hasn’t been the case thus far for the Team India veteran. His performances have been questionable and his pace has been used against him more often than not.

They have two great Indian alternatives sitting on the bench in the form of Kartik Tyagi and Sandeep Warrier. The team management paid big bucks for the former in the auctions and he should be given a start ahead of the veteran. His pace and maturity at such a young age can be taken into account by the team.

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2. Sort out Middle-order

Since Hardik Pandya left the team, the middle order has not looked solid at all. They have tried some different combinations in the middle-order with some players playing at different positions and that might have been a reason for today’s loss. If they can’t sort this situation out, it might be costly for the 2022 IPL winners.

Sai Sudharsan is locked to be the number three for the side and has performed well in that position. The problem started after that as in their first game, the team management sent Azmatullah Omarzai to the number four spot and he failed. In their second game, they sent Vijay Shankar to that spot and it failed as well. The team can look to Abhinav Manohar who is sitting on the bench currently and can solve the number 4 issue for the side.

David Miller’s form in this tournament thus far has also been a thing to look for in team management. He has not been able to fulfil the role of the finisher till now and the franchise can look to give Matthew Wade a chance at that position. The wicket-keeper batter has been known to play that role for Australia and can be a lethal player for the side in this tournament if he can continue that form. 

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3. Improve fielding

Catches win matches is a phrase that is most often used by cricket experts and team management. Fielding is a thing that most of the time decides the outcomes of the games in the sport. Gujarat Titans have not been able to do that to the best of their ability thus far in this season. 

In the first over itself, Sai Kishore dropped the chance to scalp the wicket of the opposition skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad. A delivery from Azmatullah Omarzai caught the edge of the batter and it went straight into the hands of Kishore. However, dismay struck the Titans as it fell right out of the bowler's hands during the very next second. It proved to be a costly mistake as Gaikwad went on to score a valuable 46 runs for his side.

Moreso, in the fielding aspect, they were unable to be quick in the outfield and stop the extra runs gathered by the opposition batters. There was also a case for misfield due to lack of communication between two fielders in the deep which cost them two extra runs. A good energetic fielding unit helps out the skipper and the team a lot and is one of the major things that the Titans need to address ahead of their next encounter.