Rahul Tewatia played one of the most jaw-dropping knocks in IPL history as Kings XI Punjab and defeated Rajasthan Royals by four wickets in a thrilling encounter. Chasing a mountain of 224 runs, the southpaw, who plays as a leg-spinner, was surprisingly promoted to number four. The decision didn’t look impeccable at first as Tewatia was less than a run-a-ball, and the required run-rate was continually rising. However, the left-handed batsman unleashed mayhem in the 18th over, hitting Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes. The momentum gradually shifted in Rajasthan’s favour, and they went to register their second triumph of Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020. Rahul Tewatia Hailed As Hero After his Match-Turning Knock! Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan & Others Praise the All-Rounder.
After the match, Sanju Samson, who scored 85 runs off 42 balls, narrated the story behind Tewatia’s surprise promotion. “We had bought him as a leg-spinner, but he showed his batting prowess in the camp. We had a competition about who can hit maximum sixes in six balls. There too, he had hit 4 or 5 sixes. The management decided then that he would be promoted in the batting order,” Samson said in a video shared by IPL’s official Twitter account. RR vs KXIP Highlights Dream11 IPL 2020.
Watch Video:
.@IamSanjuSamson narrates the story behind @rahultewatia02’s elevation in the batting order.
Stay tuned for the full interview with this dynamic duo.#Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/LG87dyWkxO
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 28, 2020
At one point, Tewatia was batting at 16 off 23 balls. However, he shifted gears and took the cricket world by storm. He hammered 36 runs off the last eight balls which included six maximums. Riding on his efforts, RR pulled off the highest chase in IPL history and went at the pinnacle of the team standings.
Steve Smith and Co will next meet Kolkata Knight Riders on September 30 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. On the other hand, KXIP will want to get back to the winning track against defending Champions Mumbai Indians on October 1 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 28, 2020 10:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).