New Delhi: Batting coach of Gujarat Titans Matthew Hayden Even after the humiliating defeat of his team by 99 runs, he did not stop Mumbai Indianscalled it “a terrible day” and called the batting performance “unacceptable” in a scathing post-match assessment.Chasing 200, the Gujarat Titans were bundled out for just 100, which Hayden said exposed serious flaws in both mentality and execution. “I expect our margin to be much smaller than 100. That is an unacceptable scorecard for our batting unit,” he said bluntly.“It was just a terrible day for us today. To be honest, there was nothing good about the day,” he added.Also read: Tilak Verma outclasses Gujarat Titans as record-breaking blitz rewrites IPL historyThe end of the power play sets the tone.According to Hayden, the match effectively slipped away during the powerplay, as the Titans’ top order failed to lay a foundation. As though proud of the stars Shabman GulSai Sudharsan et al Jose ButlerGT fell early, exposing a premature middle-order.“Well, the middle order was obviously exposed today. When they’re coming with six overs, you know you’re in deep trouble,” Hayden said. “You can’t win it on the power play, but you can certainly lose it — and we lost it there.”He asserted that the structure of the team depended on a strong start, adding that players like Rahul Tiotia, Shah Rukh Khan and Glenn Phillips were forced into roles they were not designed for.“We shouldn’t allow these guys too many balls. That’s not their role. That’s not what they train for,” he explained.‘Horror Story’ with BallWhile the batting drew Hayden’s ire, he also criticized the bowling unit for the disastrous finish. From 44/3, Mumbai Indians scored 73 runs in the last four overs to reach 199/5 – a phase Hayden called a “horror story”.“It was just a horror story – 73 from the last four is unacceptable as world-class players,” he said. “It was purely an execution thing.”Hayden added that the pitch did not justify such a high total, suggesting that the GT significantly underperformed. “We were very average with the ball on a wicket that I really felt was probably a 175-type wicket.”No excuses despite a strong lineup.Despite having a strong batting unit on paper, Hayden made it clear that credibility means no delivery.“When you look at our batting line-up, we have great players who have to be in a better mindset and in a better position to take advantage of their opportunities,” he said. “You can’t be happy with a 100-run margin game in a 20-over match.”He concluded with full acknowledgment of how quickly the chase unfolded. “By that stage, I felt like a batting coach, I was at the mast and the boat was sinking.”
