Published 17:58 IST, April 9th 2023
GT vs KKR: Vijay Shankar goes bizerk, hits 'Hattrick of sixes' against Shardul - WATCH
GT vs KKR: Vijay Shankar remained unbeaten after scoring 63 runs off 24 balls, taking defending champions GT through to a total of 204/4 against KKR on Sunday.
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Gujarat Titans all-rounder Vijay Shankar pulled off a run-fest at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, scoring 63 runs off only 24 balls at a strike rate of 262.50 against Kolkata Knight Riders. He notably hit 41 runs in the final two overs of the innings, hitting five sixes and two fours, alongside the singles and doubles. However, his hattrick of sixes against star Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur in the final over of the match was the biggest highlight of the first innings during the GT vs KKR, IPL 2023 match.
Shankar finished off the penultimate over of the innings, bowled by Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson for a maximum over the long off. David Miller took a single in the first ball of the 20th over to give the strike back to the Tamil Nadu cricketer. After facing a dot ball, Shankar dug it to the track outside the off stump to hit the first of his three sixes over deep mid-wicket, completing his fifty in just 21 balls.
He then smashed Shardul for another six over the long-on boundary, before making it three off three in the next ball. While Shardul bowled a half-tracker outside the off-stump, Shankar walloped it over the wide of long-on. The innings finished with the batsmen running a single in a leg bye, as GT amassed 204/4 in their 20 overs.
Watch: Vijay Shankar’s hattrick of sixes mesmerizes Ahmedabad crowd
A hat-trick of MAXIMUMS, ft. @vijayshankar260 🔥 🔥
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 9, 2023
Relive those SIXES 🔽 #TATAIPL | #GTvKKR | @gujarat_titans pic.twitter.com/nnRwMh3LtJ
IPL 2023, GT vs KKR: Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar star for Gujarat Titans
GT were off to a strong start to the innings, with Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman GIll scoring 33 runs in 4.2 overs, before Saha's dismissal on 17 off 17. Shubman then went on to hit 39 off 31, while Sai Sudharsan yet again proved his talent with a 53-run knock in 38 balls. It is worth mentioning that GT missed the services of their skipper Hardik Pandya in the match due to sickness.
17:58 IST, April 9th 2023