Gujarat Titans all-rounder Rahul Tewatia revealed that he has been consistently practising for the finishing role in the last three to four years for his team. The 29-year-old held his nerve against Punjab Kings pacer Sam Curran in the last over to finish the match for the defending champions.
With 7 runs to defend in the last over, Sam Curran bowled exceptionally well to concede only 3 runs from the first 4 balls dismissing the well-settled Gujarat Titans opener Shubman Gill. With 4 runs to win in the final two balls, Rahul Tewatia moved across the stumps to play a paddled sweep to win the third match for the Titans side.
Speaking to the media, after the win against Punjab Kings, Rahul Tewatia credited their opener for the fantastic chase in the 2nd innings as they gave a blistering start in the power play in the chase of 154 runs
“Targets like these, sometimes become one-sided games. The kind of start given by Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill opened up the match but they [PBKS] came back and bowled well in the middle overs, they did not concede boundaries for three-four overs,” Rahul Tewatia said
Gujarat Titans scored 56 runs from six overs, as the run rate significantly dipped in the middle overs for the defending champions. The middle order struggled to get going as Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya and David Miller had a moderate with the bat.
Rahul Tewatia, spoke about the role of a finisher, as they might have to stabilize the innings if they collapse in the top order and reckons most of the time they would bat at the back end of the innings.
“It’s a different thing if your team collapses and you get to bat in the 10th or 11th over. So most of the time you get to bat only after the 13th or 14th over. I have been practising the same thing for the last three-four years.
In IPL 2022, Tewatia hit 2 sixes when Gujarat Titans needed 19 runs in the last over as GT chased down a 190-run target in the final over.
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Rahul Tewatia credited Rajasthan Royals for giving him the role of a finisher in IPL 2020, where he was given clarity to perform in that role. In IPL 2020, a Rajasthan Royals batter hit 5 sixes against Punjab Kings bowler Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah, helping the Royals to chase down 51 in the last 3 overs.
“Nothing happens overnight. I was given this role in 2020 when I was with the Rajasthan Royals. When they gave me the role, there was clarity. Batting at No.6 or No.7… you have 14 league games and you get to bat eight or nine times in this situation,” Rahul Tewatia added
The defending Champions Gujarat Titans will take on Rajasthan Royals in their 5th league match at the home ground Narendra Modi Stadium on April 16.