Gardner on her side’s thrilling victory over Delhi Capitals as Sophie Devine took two wickets in final over.
Ashleigh Gardner: ‘To be able to defend seven in last over, we stole that game’.
Gujarat Giants were comfortably positioned in their defensive after scoring 209 against Delhi Capitals. With seven wickets remaining and Laura Wolvaardt at 36, DC needed an additional 60 runs in the final four overs. However, GG would have hoped they were very close to winning given the necessary run rate of 15 runs per over.
Ultimately, though, Wolvaardt almost succeeded for DC. In the last over, they needed seven runs to win, but GG prevailed by four runs. Ashleigh Gardner, the captain of GG, declared they “stole that game” following the exciting conclusion.
“Yeah, they’re one of those games that was in the balance pretty much the whole time. And certainly, [with] 60 [needed] off four overs, I think in the past you probably would be more comfortable being the bowling side,” Gardner said at the post-match presentation. “But we know here in India with the wickets and the way that the batters were hitting the ball, you’re kind of never out of it.
“To be able to defend seven in the last over, I felt like we stole that game. But I think they’re the games that I guess give a lot of confidence into the change room and a lot of belief that we can kind of win from any position.”
Jemimah Rodrigues, the captain of DC, was “proud” of her team’s two comebacks during the game. Despite threatening a considerably higher score, GG were bowled out for 209 after being 152 for 4 after 14 overs. Before the last overs of the chase, DC lost leading scorer Lizelle Lee (86) and Chinelle Henry consecutively. However, Wolvaardt’s 77 off 38 balls almost put them over the finish line.
“I think I’m very proud of the girls [with] the way they fought back. Even in our bowling in our first innings, I think the way Sophie Devine was going, she put us under a lot of pressure,” Rodrigues said. “But the way Nandani [Sharma] and [Sree] Charani bowled, I think they fought back really well.
“And I couldn’t have been more proud of the belief this team showed in this chase because at one moment, we needed 15 runs an over. But to get it to the last over where we just need seven, I think I couldn’t have been more proud. Yes, it’s a tough pill to swallow, but a lot of positives to take from here.”