Mullanpur, March 31 Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill said his team's failure to capitalize in the final five overs while batting proved decisive, as Punjab Kings outplayed them in their Indian Premier League opener here on Tuesday.
Despite having a formidable batting lineup featuring Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, and Glenn Phillips, Gill's team could not capitalize on a reasonably good batting surface, managing only 162 for 6, and the captain later admitted that a score of 210-220 was achievable on the wicket.
Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly made batting look effortless on the same surface, producing a fluent 72.
"It looked like a 210-220 wicket. We thought 175 would be a good score, but we kept losing wickets and didn't score much in the last five overs," Gill conceded after the three-wicket loss.
"Once the ball got older, it was difficult to hit it down the ground," he added.
Gill said that batting became easier later on, as a drizzle set in and the wet ball made it easier for the home side.
"In the second innings, the rain continued, making the ball wet, which slightly improved batting conditions. So I don't think it (ball) stopped as much in the second innings. But nonetheless, I think we did a decent job...all ifs and buts."
"It's tough luck, and it wasn't the game for us, but I think we did decently well. It's just, you know, keep getting better and keep adding more intensity and keep giving your best."
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer said he was impressed by young batter Connolly's calm and composed approach.
"Some of the shots he (Connolly) played were surreal to watch, especially the one off Rashid (Khan)... I was focused on my hand inside, icing it, suddenly we lost two wickets back to back, these things happen in the IPL, you have to stay composed.
"Cooper was there, he was composed and calm...," Iyer added.
Connolly, who was declared player of the match, said he really enjoyed the batting.
"I was looking forward to the experience of playing with some world-class players, but to put that performance in tonight, very happy. I'm just more of a tempo player, feel the flow of my hands, don't hit too many big sixes.
"We were quite relaxed, in a great position out there, nice to get the win."