Gujarat Titans vice-captain Rashid Khan also sounded a warning that teams should not get complacent after posting big scores as no total is safe due to the introduction of the impact player rule.
GT might have posted an impressive 227-for-2 against Lucknow Super Giants, but Rashid said his team took the field with the mindset to defend 180-190.
Gujarat have already paid the price of conceding 200 in the second set when KKR Rinku Singh had hit five sixes in the last over to chase a total of 204 earlier this season.
“It was a big win for us, but you never know, sometimes in the T20s totals of 230 to 240 get much lower. You have to be fully focused to give 100 per cent effort and that was the discussion that we had coming to bowling,” Rashid said at the post-match press conference here on Sunday.
“As a team we had in mind that we defend 180-190. As long as we are going to have that in mind, we are going to be on the safe side (of the results). But we never think we have scored as many runs and being relaxed, it was more about getting the basics right and bowling in the right areas.
“It’s very difficult for bowlers these days, especially with the impact player. You have eight or nine batters on a team and it becomes very difficult. If you need 60-65 in the last four overs, it’s totally doable these days.
“It happened with us in the past against KKR when they scored 28 runs in the last over (to win). It’s cricket, anything is possible but you have to fully commit to getting the basics right.”
Rashid said the magnificent effort he put in to take a hold while covering 26 yards with the deep square leg to push Kyle Mayers aside, was something that was needed to lift the spirits of the other team members.
“That’s the contribution you make to the team, as a unit on the pitch and that’s the kind of support I think there should be for the bowlers on a wicket like this that scores. points. They were going so well and you were required to give more than 100% on the pitch,” he said.
“Even if you have a 5 or 10% chance, you have to (try and) convert them into 100 – that’s something that can change the game. It gave us (re)momentum, but the way we played after the power play was amazing.
“We adapted well, we bowled and we didn’t concede many limits in the middle.”
Lucknow was missing skipper KL Rahul, who was ruled out of the IPL with a thigh injury.
LSG Bowler Avesh Khan admitted that Rahul’s exit has upset his team’s balance and they need to pick themselves up in the bowling and batting departments.
“We need to improve in both departments. We will have to learn from the mistakes we made today. We did well with the stick on the power play, but with the ball we didn’t.
“The situation was quite difficult for the hitters (towards the end). We felt the game was over for us as we needed 98 from five overs. It’s very difficult to score 20 odd runs in every over,” said said Avesh.
(With PTI inputs)
