Kolkata: How challenging can it be to track the ball and respond accordingly? Consider Shashank Singh, who was so engrossed in the game that he denied Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer the opportunity to achieve his first IPL century. Iyer accepted this trade-off, recognizing that such a seamless partnership between batters is a rare occurrence.

Priyansh Arya made a remarkable debut, scoring 47 runs off just 23 balls at the top of the order, while Iyer contributed an impressive 97 not out from 42 deliveries. However, Shashank's performance was extraordinary, boasting a strike rate of 275 with 44 runs off 16 balls, including 23 runs in the final over. Together, they formed an eighth-wicket partnership of 81 runs in just 26 balls, leading to an 11-run victory over the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

The 14th over bowled by Vijaykumar Vyshak was also pivotal, as he allowed only four singles and a wide while the Titans required 75 runs from 36 balls in their pursuit of 244. Titans captain Shubman Gill laid a solid foundation with a quick 33 runs off 14 balls but fell victim to a leading edge off Glenn Maxwell, who recorded an unprecedented 19th duck in IPL history, leaving the responsibility to Sai Sudharsan.

Sudharsan responded effectively, scoring 74 runs off 41 balls, but it was not enough to accelerate the Titans' chase adequately. Jos Buttler's struggles with converting starts likely influenced the decision to bring in Sherfane Rutherford as an Impact Sub, who immediately made an impact by scoring 17 runs off Marcus Stoinis in the 14th over. Marco Jansen followed Vyshak's impressive over with one that yielded only eight runs, raising the required run rate to 15.5. Vyshak returned to bowl again, slightly erratic but still limiting the runs to just five. In a format where strike rates and managing run equations are crucial, this segment of play proved to be decisive, despite a late surge from the Titans, where Rutherford and Rahul Tewatia managed to hit a few boundaries.

The outcome of the match was significantly influenced by the aggressive batting strategy employed by the Punjab Kings against the Titans. The Titans appeared unprepared for Arya, who was consistently targeted with pace and length during the Powerplay. Mohammed Siraj was struck for a boundary through deep square, and Kagiso Rabada faced a similar fate when Arya capitalized on a missed catch due to a miscommunication between Rashid Khan and Arshad Khan. To add to the Titans' woes, Arya scored 21 runs off Arshad’s over, hitting three boundaries and a six over deep backward square leg. With the score at 73/1 after six overs and the Titans in disarray, Punjab Kings continued to apply pressure with Iyer at the crease.

Iyer's assault was evident as he confidently struck Rabada for a four, followed by an impressive six over deep square. He then targeted Sai Kishore and Rashid Khan, hitting massive sixes that kept increasing in distance. Notably, Iyer charged at Prasidh Krishna in the 17th over, scoring 6, 4, 6, 6, despite injuring himself with a pull shot that struck his ribcage. He reached his half-century off 27 balls, but remarkably, his subsequent 47 runs came off just 15 balls. By forcing bowlers to deliver wide and pushing outfielders to the boundary's edge, Iyer maintained relentless pressure until Shashank took over in the final over bowled by Siraj.

Iyer required three runs to complete his century, but the directive was clear. “From the first ball, Shreyas instructed me not to focus on his hundred,” Shashank shared with the broadcaster during the innings break. “I trust my abilities and concentrate on my strengths rather than what I cannot do.” His four boundaries off the last four deliveries convincingly demonstrated that Shashank was indeed the right choice for the final flourish.

Read Also: Ravi Shastri Takes Subtle Dig at Kohli After Shreyas Iyer's Selfless 97*

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