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Rajasthan Royals (RR) all-rounder Rahul Tewatia stunned Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) with his batting heroics in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 on Sunday. Tewatia smashed 53 runs off 31 balls with seven sixes during the Royals’ biggest chase in the IPL history.
Chasing a mammoth target of 224 runs, the Royals got off to a terrible start as they lost opener Jos Buttler (4) cheaply. Then, captain Steve Smith (50) and Sanju Samson (85) steadied the ship by adding a crucial 81-run stand before James Neesham removed Smith.
Samson, on the other hand, continued the run-flow but was not getting the ideal support from the other end in the form of Tewatia. The left-hander was hardly able to get the ball on bat. This added pressure on Samson, and he departed in the 17th over with 62 to get from 23 balls.
Yuvraj Singh thanked Tewatia for not breaking his record
After Samson’s dismissal, KXIP was back in the game. However, in a complete turnaround, Tewatia got into the act and launched an all-out attack against Punjab. He specifically targeted left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell, who came to bowl the 18th over. Tewatia smashed five sixes in the over to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
The 27-year-old missed out from equaling former India international Yuvraj Singh’s record of six sixes in an over. Yuvi reacted hilariously to Tewatia’s unbelievable effort by thanking the latter for not breaking his record.
“Mr @rahultewatia02 na bhai na! thanks for missing one ball! What a game congratulations to rr for a spectacular win !!! #RRvKXIP @mayankcricket great knock @IamSanjuSamson brilliant !” wrote Yuvraj on Twitter.
Mr @rahultewatia02 na bhai na 😅 thanks for missing one ball ! What a game congratulations to rr for a spectacular win !!! #RRvKXIP @mayankcricket great knock @IamSanjuSamson brilliant !
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) September 27, 2020
After the match, RR skipper Smith heaped praises on Tewatia for his sensational display of batting. He said the left-handed batsman showed ‘heart’ during the chase.
“What we have seen from Tewatia in the nets is what we saw in that Cottrell’s over. I told someone as along as he gets one, floodgates will open. He showed heart. He told me during the timeout we still believe,” said Smith in the post-match presentation.
