Gary Kirsten admits Gujarat Titans’ struggles in bowling department

Gujarat Titans (GT) batting coach and mentor Gary Kirsten admitted his side’s struggles with defending totals in the ongoing IPL 2023. The defending champions have had a topsy-turvy start to their campaign, as they have won three of their five outings thus far.

Notably, the two losses have come while defending totals against the rival teams. With this, mentor Gary Kirsten believes it is due to the unsettled bowling line-up, which has been struggling to defend scores. He further added that the management is working on getting the right set of players to get the job done.

“In the last IPL, we defended four and chased down six games. This year we haven’t defended a total yet, but it is early days in the tournament. Last year we had a settled bowling lineup. This year due to injuries and guys who we bank on in crucial overs, aren’t necessarily ready to go,” Kirsten said during a virtual press conference.

“Every team needs to adapt to different situations you are confronted with and for us it’s an opportunity to look at that area and potentially reset and make sure we have the right guys to do the job,” he added.

For me Mohit has really been an inspiration: Gary Kirsten

Gary heaped massive praise on seasoned pacer Mohit Sharma, who marked his comeback in the IPL against Punjab Kings. Upon his return, Mohit was adjudged Player of the Match after returning impressive bowling figures of 2/18 in his four overs. In his next game against Rajasthan Royals, the 34-year-old bowled just two overs and gave away mere seven runs.  

“For me Mohit has really been an inspiration. He was part of last IPL essentially as a net bowler. For someone of his age to do that I think is remarkable. He is an incredible professional, puts a lot of time into his game. He has done really well in the last two games,” Gary said.