Rahul Tewatia was the saviour for Gujarat Titans (GT), hitting two sixes on the last two balls with 12 runs remaining to win the match, as they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six wickets at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday (April 8). The unlucky bowler to face Tewatia's wrath was the Jamaican all-rounder Odean Smith.
Following the frantic finish, the 28-year-old seasoned campaigner who has played for the former Kings XI Punjab, now PBKS, became just the second player after MS Dhoni to smash two sixes with 12 runs required off the last two balls. The iconic former India captain achieved a similar feat against Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings). Axar Patel was bowling the final over then.
In what was a closely-fought encounter in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, the Titans needed 21 runs from nine deliveries. With 18 of the last five deliveries and the ball in Smith's hand, Tewatia and David Miller brought it to 13 off three balls when Miller scrambled for a single, leaving Tewatia with the task of hitting two sixes off the last two deliveries and winning it for Gujarat Titans, who successfully chased a target of 190.
Tewatia hit Smith just over deep midwicket, with the fielder nearly catching him before falling over the rope. The final ball saw the all-rounder slog-sweep the delivery over the long-on boundary to seal a memorable victory for the Titans.
Another record in Tewatia's books is that he is also just the fourth batter after MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, and KS Bharat to finish an IPL match with a six off the last ball when five or six runs were required.
Opener Shubman Gill and skipper Hardik Pandya were leading the charge against the Kings' massive target, but both got off at the most inappropriate time - Gill just four short of his century and Pandya run out off the first ball of the final over. When the match seemed to have slipped out of their hands, Tewatia intervened brilliantly with his consecutive sixers.
