Gujarat Titans batter Abhinav Manohar: ‘I think our team trains the most’

Gujarat Titans batter Abhinav Manohar puts his improvement down to extended training session, plenty of batting in the nets and countless throw downs. His brilliant ball striking was on display Tuesday in a knock of 42 runs from 21 balls against the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap​

Thanks to knocks by Manohar, David Miller (46 off 22 balls) and Rahul Tewatia (20 not out from 15 balls), GT posted a mammoth 207 runs in Ahmedabad. The bowlers then applied the brakes on MI’s attempted chase to win by 55 runs.

Arjun Tendulkar did all that was asked of him vs GT, says MI bowling coach Shane Bond

IPL 2023: ‘We gave too many runs’, laments MI skipper Rohit Sharma after 55-run defeat to GT

“I think our team trains the most, it has the longest practice hours so we get to bat a lot as batsmen so that really helps us out there in the middle. We have done it so many times, it just becomes a muscle memory to do it while we play a game,” said Manohar at the post-match press conference.

“Our practice sessions, we had two camps prior to the IPL for a week each which really helped us. I know my role in the team. It is made very clear by the franchise and that helps as well,” he added.

Manohar said his striking ability has improved since last year due to quite a lot of throw downs during practice.

“Compared to last year I was a bit slow on the field, that’s something that I’ve worked on throughout the year and my striking ability has improved since last year… that’s due to a lot of throw downs,” he said.

Manohar and Miller proved decisive in taking the game away from MI with the bat. “We were talking out there in the middle. Whatever ball is in our zone, we shall go for it and not give any half-hearted effort at the shot. Plus, I felt Miller being out there in the middle, talking to me, helps me calm down when I’m batting over there,” said Manohar.

Mumbai Indians were stopped short on 152/9 with Nehal Wadhera (40 from 21 balls) and Cameron Green (33 from 26 balls) among the runs. Manohar believed second innings was easier to bat on the surface and credited the bowlers to keep MI down.

“I felt it was easy to bat in the second innings, but our bowlers really bowled well. They lost a few wickets early on, which didn’t allow the batters to come out and play their game. I felt it was easier to bat in the second innings because of the dew.”

“Rashid (Khan) and Noor (Ahmad) are really tough to pick in the nets. It’s been a year and a half and I can’t pick Noor in the nets so I’m sure for a new batter playing from some other team is very hard to pick him.

“He’s just not got enough experience to play matches but once he gets that he’ll be as good as Rashid Khan.”

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.