Rahul Tewatia, a former Rajasthan Royals player, opened up about how he was feeling ahead of smashing five sixes against Kings XI Punjab’s Sheldon Cottrell in the IPL 2020. The southpaw stated that his mind was blank and that he regretted not setting a record by hitting six sixes in a single over.
Tewatia struggled to hit boundaries in his first 20 deliveries after being elevated to number four with the Royals chasing 224. The 29-year-old hit his first six off his 21st delivery and smashed five sixes in the 18th over when the Royals required 51 from 18 deliveries. They won by four wickets with three balls remaining.
Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo’s Cricket Monthly, he said:
“I have no idea what was going on in my head at that time. I now wonder how I missed the sixth six – maybe I was in two minds about what shot to play and didn’t give my 100%.”
When asked how he became the match-winner that his team need, he replied that it takes hard practice and mental strength to carry out his plans.
“Practice, aur kya hai? Without practice, nothing can be achieved. The IPL is a stage where a player faces pressure very early. You realise immediately that a lot of people are watching the match. Now viewership numbers are being broken, with over 2 crore watching a game. So whatever you have been practising, you need to execute, for which you need to be mentally strong whatever the situation.”
After his five sixes against the Punjab Kings, the 29-year-old’s career took off, and he has recreated that explosive form multiple times for the Gujarat Titans, whom he joined in 2022.
“The freedom is the same” – Rahul Tewatia
The leg-spinner all-rounder revealed that the management of the Gujarat Titans instructs him to go after the bowlers regardless of the number of overs remaining in the innings. He continued, recalling the Mumbai Indians’ game earlier this year:
“At this franchise, if I’m getting to play 20 balls or three, the freedom is the same. Even against Mumbai, there wasn’t any message. In the 16th over of a chase, there are many things going on in the brain. “There are four overs left, which bowler should I target?” When there are only four balls, you don’t have an option. You just want to give your best in those four balls.”
Rahul Tewatia’s next game will be against the Mumbai Indians on Friday, May 12 at the Wankhede Stadium.