Ashleigh Gardner: 'To be able to defend seven in last over, we stole that game'

After posting 209 on the board against Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants were comfortably placed in their defence. DC required another 60 runs in the last four overs, they had seven wickets in hand, and Laura Wolvaardt was well set on 36. But with the required run rate at 15 an over, GG would have hoped they were quite close to victory.

But eventually, Wolvaardt nearly pulled it off for DC. They needed seven runs to win in the last over, but GG won by four runs. After the thrilling finish, GG's captain Ashleigh Gardner said they "stole that game".

"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."

DC captain Jemimah Rodrigues, meanwhile, was "proud" of the way her side fought back twice in the match. GG were 152 for 4 after 14 overs, but were bowled out for 209 despite threatening a much bigger total. In the chase, DC lost top-scorer Lizelle Lee (86) and Chinelle Henry back-to-back ahead of the death overs, before Wolvaardt's 77 off 38 balls nearly took them across 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."

GG's Devine was the Player of the Match for her all-round show. She thrashed 95 off just 42 balls to lay the foundation for a huge score, and then bowled the last over of DC's innings, where she dismissed Rodrigues and Wolvaardt to snatch the momentum from DC. After the match, Devine said pitches such as those on Sunday night meant even "200-220 probably won't be enough for us", even as it allowed her greater freedom as a batter.

"Yeah, I certainly think it helps the wickets that we're playing on, that you can play with a real sense of freedom and you can trust the bounce and just hit through the ball," she said. "And I think there are times early on batting with Moons [Beth Mooney], it's really nice. I mean, having played so much with her at Perth Scorchers, it's nice to have that familiarity down the other end.

"So for me, it's nice just to have her there to stay in my ear a little bit, to keep calm, and not trying to swing too hard. But yeah, these wickets are fantastic to bat on, I think. Yeah, like even the way Lizelle and Laura Woolvart batted today, there's going to be some big scores out there, this tournament."