Rajasthan Royals (RR) all-rounder Rahul Tewatia plucked a stunning catch at the boundary to dismiss Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper KL Rahul in the third match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Monday.
Stakes were high as one-time champion RR locked horns with a rejuvenated PBKS at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
At the start of the final over of Punjab innings, Rahul was batting on 87. He smashed the first ball from left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya over extra cover for four.
Rahul needed just nine runs to complete his hundred and had five balls. The odds were heavily stacked in his favour, going by the way he was timing the ball. The right-handed opener tried to hit the next ball over the mid-wicket for a maximum, but Tewatia at the boundary line caught the white leather. The momentum pushed Tewatia towards the boundary line, but before crossing over, he threw the ball into the air and then made a full-stretch dive to complete the catch.
Here’s the video:
Catch of the season! pic.twitter.com/bzR0WfZOel
— Kumar Sourav (@AdamDhoni1) April 13, 2021
A 105-run partnership for the third wicket in just 46 balls between Rahul and Deepak Hooda helped PBKS post 221/6 on the board.
In reply, Rajasthan fell just five runs short of the target to clinch the game. Their captain Sanju Samson’s fighting ton – 119 off 63 – went in vain as Arshdeep Singh held his nerves in the final over to help Punjab register a thrilling win.
