Boucher hails Siraj’s first-ball dismissal of Samson as turning point in GT’s crushing win over CSK

New Delhi: Former South African cricketer Mark Boucher believes that Mohammad Siraj dismissing Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) opener Sanju Samson on the first ball was the massive moment for Gujarat Titans in their 89-run win over the five-time champions. Defending a daunting 229-run target, GT struck immediately when Siraj induced an edge from Samson on the very first ball of the innings. CSK never recovered from the early collapse and were eventually bowled out for 140 in just 13.4 overs.

Boucher felt Samson was the one batter capable of mounting a serious challenge in the chase and credited Siraj for executing his plans perfectly.

“Sanju Samson was probably the one batter who could have posed a real challenge for the Gujarat Titans in that chase, so dismissing him on the first ball was a massive moment in the game,” Boucher told Jio Hotstar.

“Mohammed Siraj executed his plan perfectly, especially on a red-soil surface where he could pitch the ball up and allow it to swing. The line and length were spot on, and he immediately found the edge. That wicket dealt a huge blow to CSK’s hopes because once Samson fell early, they were always going to need something extraordinary to recover from there,” he added. IANS

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