How MI came undone against Titans pacers and home advantage

Gujarat Titans were unreservedly unapologetic about exploiting home advantage.

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They also had no qualms about admitting that they used something 'black' to stifle the Mumbai Indians batters. It certainly paid off at Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday (March 29) night as they secured a 36-run victory, extending their stranglehold over Mumbai Indians at home.

"It is obviously black soil," revealed Parthiv Patel, the assistant coach of the Titans, discussing the crucial playing surface.

The Titans were well within their rights to have a pitch of their preference - after all, it's the home team's prerogative, regardless of controversies elsewhere. The Knight Riders are reportedly not getting their desired pitch at the Eden in Kolkata but that issue is not particularly relevant here.

"(This is) on a slower side, something which we wanted," Parthiv revealed. "Mumbai have been preparing themselves by playing on a red surface. It was a deliberate effort from our side. We wanted to play on a black soil. It's stopping a bit, slightly stickier to start with. From the first impression, there are a lot of cracks on the pitch."

Unlike the red soil pitch that MI are accustomed to at their home ground, the Wankhede, the black soil surface is not particularly conducive to stroke play. Just a few days ago, the Titans laid out a red soil wicket for their match against the Punjab Kings, resulting in a high-scoring contest with 475 runs combined. The visitors thrived on the surface and secured an 11-run victory. The Titans were wiser for the experience this time around.