The Gujarat Titans are in dire need of an Indian batter in the middle order who can shore up their line-up, according to Tom Moody, a former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach. This was apparent after their 20-run loss to Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 Eliminator.
GT enjoyed a good tournament in IPL 2025 with their top three batsmen, captain Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler, hitting runs all season. So much so that the middle order hardly got to bat. In the chase of 229 at New Chandigarh, the middle order of Rutherford, Tewatia, and Shahrukh Khan struggled to keep up with the stiff MI bowling attack after Washington Sundar and Sudharsan got out. And that was what knocked out IPL 2022 champions from the tournament.
Moody observed, “I see Rutherford and Tewatia as similar players but different styles—the one hits sixes more than the other. But together, they faced 26 balls today and hit only one six: that says it all.” He continued, “Basically, they come in at the death—when boundaries matter the most; fours or sixes, not singles: that’s what they practice for. They surely should have hit at least three more sixes; I think it could have changed the outcome of the game.”
Moody further stated, “Washington did step up this match, but they still need a solid Indian batter in the top or middle order. Getting one could really help the team’s balance.”
Varun Aaron, an Indian ex-fast bowler who was with GT during the IPL 2022 win, also pointed out how there was a missing middle-order batsman who could step in and do the job that Miller had done back then. Aaron said, “Tewatia usually is expected to come in his last 2 or 3 overs, maybe play a couple of nice shots, but build an entire innings? Not really. That was such a role played by David Miller—coming in with six or seven overs left, building an innings and finishing strongly.”
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He added, “In 2022, Miller used to be quite reliable and threw away no half chances; that was very important in GT succeeding. This year, Rutherford hasn’t been able to do that most of the time.”
