Gujarat Titans batsman Rahul Tewatia has become a master at finishing off nail-biters for his team. Tewatia was once again in the limelight when four runs were needed off the last two balls against Punjab Kings at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
Tewatia is no new to finishing innings and he continued his love affair against Punjab Kings when he played a paddle sweep against Sam Curran off the last ball of the innings to hand his side a six-wicket win.
Tewatia made five off just two balls but it was a crucial cameo with David Miller (17 off 18 balls) struggling to find his Midas touch at the other end.
Tewatia revealed that he has been playing the same role for the last three-four years and has practiced in the net sessions accordingly.
Tewatia said in the post-match press conference: “Nothing happens overnight. I was given this role in 2020 when I was with Rajasthan Royals. When your role is defined, you have clarity about it. When you are batting at 6-7, you are likely to bat at [crunch] Positions 8-9 times in 14 league games.
“I have been practicing for this for the last three to four years. I practice through match simulation and set targets for myself, which gives me an idea of how to finish matches.
The left-handed batsman revealed that he backed himself to play that shot against Sam Curran when the pressure was on him.
“I was thinking I might go for a double (two runs) down the leg side, which is the bulk of the ground. But I thought it was a bit risky. There were two balls left, so I thought ( Scoop) was a better shot. The ball was reversing a bit. I backed myself to play that shot and executed it.”
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill smashed 67 off 49 balls while Mohit Sharma returned with impressive figures of 2-18 to keep PBKS at 153.
Gujarat Titans will next take on Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday