IPL 2022: Shubman Gill reveals he had 'back issues' during 63-run knock against LSG

Gujarat Titans became the first team to officially qualify for IPL 2022 playoffs as they thrashed Lucknow Super Giants by 62 runs on Tuesday (May 10). It was a low-scoring affair as batters of both teams endured a hard time. The only half-century in the contest came off Shubman Gill’s blade as the young opener played a sensible knock and remained unbeaten till the end.

He ended up scoring 63 off 49 balls as the Titans posted 144/4 in their allotted 20 overs, subsequently clinching the contest by 62 runs. Meanwhile, Gill, who was named the Player of the Match, later revealed that he had played the match with back issues. He also narrated how challenging it was to get going in the middle.

I didn’t expect the ball to seam as much at the start: Shubman Gill

“Always pleasing when you’re there till the end and finish the game for your team. I didn’t expect the ball to seam as much at the start. It was nipping around, and then I expected the spinners to get some turn. I think they didn’t bowl up much. Had Krunal pitched it up, it would have been tougher,” said Gill after the game.

“It helped us turn the singles over. Not a lot of people gave us a chance at the start, but great to qualify now. The ground was soft and I had a bit of back issues, but hopefully, it would all be fine,” he added. Meanwhile, GT will now look for a top-two finish as it will give them an additional chance to qualify for the finals.

The Titans have two more league-stage games left in the competition and they might ponder testing their bench strength. Meanwhile, GT skipper Hardik Pandya was mighty pleased with the outcome of the game as he lavished massive praises on his teammates.

“Really, really proud of the boys. It is a great effort to qualify before the 14th game in this league. To be honest, in the last game, we kind of thought that the game was over before it was over. We were always under pressure in all the other games that we won, and we felt that we’d finish off the last game with the kind of batting we had,” stated the 28-year-old.