Updated: September 28, 2020 4:36:12 pm
Rahul Tewatia imitating the celebration of Sheldon Cottrell. (Screenshot)
Rahul Tewatia etched his name in the hearts of the world after his match-defining 53-of-31 balls handed the Rajasthan Royals a memorable four-pitch victory against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) often casts unlikely stars. On Sunday, lesser-known Tewatia stole the thunder from super cool KL Rahul by scoring five-sixes on a Sheldon Cottrell over.
But during the 224 chase of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Tewatia initially had a day to forget, as at one point she was 8 of 19 balls. In the 18th of the second inning, things changed.
With RR still needing 51 in the last 3 overs, Tewatia, on 14 of 21 balls, found his touch. Cottrell was crushed by five sixes in an over to reduce the equation to a more manageable 12-ball 21, almost all thrown hard into the thin leg and midfield areas by the southpaw.
READ | Fall Boy To Match Winner: Tewatia Turns Superman Into Record Win
Rajasthan sealed the deal from there with three balls to spare and even received praise from Royals brand ambassador Shane Warne.
“First of all, the courage and heart shown by Tewatia, especially after his bad start with the bat, an incredible well-made young man,” Warne tweeted Sunday night.
After the game, the entire Royal squad celebrated in the locker room. Tewatia even jokingly scoffed at the signature West Indies pacing salute celebration.
This is how the Tewatia entries progressed: 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 6, 0, 2 , 1, 6, 6, 6, 6, 0, 6, 6, W
“I hit the ball very well in the nets, so I believed in myself and kept going,” Tewatia said after the game.
“At the beginning he was not hitting the ball well, I saw him on the bench, everyone was curious because they know I can hit the ball long. I thought I had to believe in myself. It was a matter of one and six, after that, I got going. “
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