IPL 2023: How Tewatia does it!

Rahul Tewatia (right) and David Miller celebrate GT’s win over Punjab at Mohali on Thursday. Pic/BCCI; IPL

Rahul Tewatia proved to be the perfect finisher once again, as reigning Indian Premier League champions Gujarat Titans beat Punjab Kings by six wickets at the PCA Stadium here on Thursday night. With four runs required off the last two balls of the keenly contested encounter, Tewatia calmly executed an audacious scoop shot against Punjab's English pacer Sam Curran for a boundary, ensuring the target was achieved with a ball to spare. The Haryana all-rounder finished on five not out off just two balls.

This is not the first time Tewatia, 29, has delivered under pressure. In the 2020 edition, he became an overnight sensation when helped his then team, Rajasthan Royals achieve an improbable victory against Kings XI Punjab. Chasing a mammoth 224 for victory, Tewatia was promoted to No.4, but began to struggle initially, managing just eight runs off 19 balls. He began to get trolled online with RR fans slamming skipper Sanju Samson for promoting him. Then, suddenly, the game turned on its head when Tewatia hammered Punjab pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in the 18th over, bringing down the required 51-off-18 equation to a gettable 21 off 12 balls. Tewatia finished on 53 off 31 (with seven sixes) and RR won with three balls to spare. Tewatia instantly started trending on Twitter, just as he did again on Thursday.

Rahul Tewatia's winning scoop shot over fine leg for four. Pic/GT

However, it's not merely slam-bang hitting by the hardworking cricketer, who joined the Titans last season. There is a method to the madness, revealed Tewatia at Thursday's post-match press conference. "Nothing happens overnight. I was given this [finisher's] role in 2020, at Rajasthan Royals. When they gave me the role, there was clarity. Batting at No. 6 or 7, you have 14 league games and you get to bat eight or nine times in this situation. Most of the time you're batting after the 13th or 14th over. I've been practising this for three-four years.

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"I give myself targets. I play a lot of match simulations and that gives me an idea when I can take my chances and how I can finish a match. The most important thing to know the right time and the right bowler. It's not like you can finish 10 out of 10 matches, but you will finish the majority of matches, which GT has been doing from last season," Tewatia added.