Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka replaced the injured Kane Williamson in the Gujarat Titans squad after their first game in IPL 2023. However, Sri Lanka's Asia Cup-winning captain is yet to make his IPL debut as he is warming the bench. Ahead of the GT vs RR clash, Gujarat's all-rounder Rahul Tewatia opened up about Shanaka's inclusion in the playing XI.
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"__ ____ _ ___ __ ___!" _
From a super assist to MVPs of the matchday, watch mentor Gary Kirsten applaud the match-winning show run by the Gujarat Titans against #PBKS! _
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"Dasun Shanaka played well in the India series as well. We are glad that Sri Lanka's captain has joined our team and the team mangement will take a call on when to play him in the match," Rahul in a press conference ahead of the RR clash.
When asked about why he is not bowling often in the match, Rahul said, "Captain knows that I bowl leg spin. But we function according to the situation. We have Rashid Khan and there is no need for a second spinner as of now.
Having secured a win against Punjab Kings in their previous match, Gujarat will enter this game with a positive mindset, led by Hardik Pandya. They will be eager to continue their winning form in this rematch of the IPL 2022 final. Meanwhile, Rajasthan also won their last game against the Chennai team, led by MS Dhoni. The Rajasthan side is currently brimming with confidence, making it a challenging task for Gujarat to overcome them.
"You need to follow the process. You need to keep in mind what you want to improve in this practice session. After following the process, I just back myself. I ask bowlers about their field setting. Then I play according to the ball. I play in the nets as if I am playing in a match. The situation made me a finisher. After the match in Sharjah team management gained confidence in my performance and I was told that I will have to play in this position only," Rahul added.
When asked about how difficult it was to get over the defeat gainst KKR Rahul said," The defeat against KKR was a hard pill to slow. But this is a game of cricket. We have done this to many teams last year and this time it happend to us so that is fine. Anything can happen in cricket, especially in T20 cricket. In T20 cricket only one over is enough to change the game on its head. In the game against KKR, the same thing happend to us but after that the way we bounced back is outstanding."
