Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya took full responsibility for their unexpected five-run defeat to Delhi Capitals on Tuesday (May 2) in Ahmedabad. While chasing a below-par total of 130, the Titans’ chase was anchored by Hardik who scored a half-century but was unable to take the team home.

“I tried my best but could not capitalise. It boils down to me,” Hardik Pandya said at the post-match presentation. “Obviously, we would have taken 129 [131-run target] on any given day. [We] just lost a couple of wickets and at the end, Rahul got us back in the game. We were hoping to get a couple of big overs in the middle but at that point of time we could not get rhythm. It was new for Abhinav as well. It boils down to how I was not able to finish the game. Full marks to their bowlers as well and full ownership on my side where I could not finish the game I should’ve.”

Ahead of the game, the matches in Ahmedabad had seen reasonably high-scoring games that were also chased down successfully as well. Batters generally enjoyed hitting the ball and there were also a lot of boundaries hit in those matches as well. But they faced a contrast to this game that saw just nine sixes across the two innings as well.

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“It was more about the pressure of [losing] wickets. I don’t think the [track] played much role. It was a tad slower than what we are used to here. But they bowled really well. We lost a couple of early wickets and then we had to take some time. We could not get the rhythm in the middle. Rahul brought us back into the game. Otherwise, they were quite ahead,” Hardik Pandya again added.

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“Intent had to be there. It’s just that we lost a couple of wickets where if you keep losing wickets, it’s difficult to keep the intent as well. We lost because I could not get my rhythm and we kept losing wickets at the start and that put us under pressure. We like to take it deep and hope to get a couple of big overs which we could not get. I feel sorry for [Shami]. If you bowl like that, then you restrict the team to 129 [130], I think [our] batters disappointed. I don’t think the ball did a lot. It’s just that Mohammed Shami’s skillset he has and he made the ball talk. Otherwise, I think for fast bowlers, the wicket did not have much assistance. But the way he bowled four on the trot and got us in the game, full credit [to him]. As I said, batters and particularly myself did not finish and we disappointed him,” Hardik Pandya concluded.

However, the defeat was Gujarat Titans’ first of the season in a run chase and only the second time as well from 14 games. The defending champions next play in Jaipur against the Rajasthan Royals on Friday (May 5).