Ashish Nehra drives across the stretch of the vast Narendra Modi stadium's many practice facilities giving Rashid Khan and Mohit Sharma a three-seater ride on his scooter. "Three idiots, welcome" quips a member of the Gujarat Titans support staff.
GT's easy-going ways in practice are there for all to see. The team knows another slip-up and the 20 points they accumulated in the league stage will count for nothing but there is no hangover of the loss in the first qualifier. Process over results, as they say.
For all practical purposes, the Gujarat Titans-Mumbai Indians face-off in Ahmedabad on Friday is a semi-final. Some fans may want to save for the final, but locals still expect the 1,00,000-plus capacity stadium to be 75 percent full.
Both franchises enjoy a distinct Gujarati identity. Pack your popcorn or dhoklas if you like. An IPL official calls it a dream clash for the playoffs'.
The Gujarati connect
GT owners CVC Capital, a global investment firm may be far removed from the archetypical IPL proprietor, who is pictured praying for glory during a tense match. What they have done well is to localise the Titans, led by the local star Hardik Pandya, into a team all Gujaratis can support.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 26, 2023 من Hindustan Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 26, 2023 من Hindustan Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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