Win against MI one of our best performances: Klinger

Until Friday’s fixture in the Women’s Premier League, Gujarat Giants hadn’t prevailed over Mumbai Indians in eight meetings. Amid vociferous backing by its legion of fans at the Kotambi Stadium, Ashleigh Gardner’s side finally got rid of the millstone around its neck by registering a hard-earned 11-run victory. It also ensured a spot in the playoffs for the hosts.

According to Giants coach Michael Klinger, this was right among the team’s best performances. “We know what we’ve got to do to beat any team. When we play somewhere very close to our best, we’re in a position to beat most teams. We were pretty close to one of our best games tonight. On a surface that was a little bit slower, getting close to 170 was maybe slightly above par,” said the Australian.

At the toss, Gardner conspicuously went against the grain by electing to bat first. Among the factors that went into the call was the fact that the surface had been used for three previous games in the tournament.

“We’ve been playing pretty well batting first. It was the fourth time the wicket was being used. So, we felt if we could post a pretty solid total and bowl and field somewhere near our best, we could defend it,” Klinger stated.

The nature of the surface allowed leg-spinner Georgia Wareham to grab the spotlight. Besides scoring an unbeaten 44, she provided two breakthroughs in four frugal overs. Interestingly, Giants did consider benching Wareham for the game given her indifferent form.

“It was a real tough call because we thought a lot about bringing Danni Wyatt-Hodge back in,” informed the 45-year-old coach. “We felt (in the end) that Georgia in these conditions was the best option. Now with the confidence going forward, hopefully she’ll play a big part in the Eliminator and then hopefully the final.”