Rahul Tewatia smashed a couple of sixes off the last two deliveries after the talented Shubman Gill's magnificent 96 off just 59 balls as Gujarat Titans pulled off a dramatic six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in their IPL match on Friday (April 8).
Chasing 190 for a win, Gill was out in the 19th over after hitting 11 fours and a six, followed by his captain Hardik Pandya (27) in the final over as the Titans needed 12 runs from the last two balls.
Tewatia (13 not out off 3 balls), who has a reputation of hitting big sixes in crunch situations, sent the last two balls bowled by Odean Smith for maximums to hand the Titans their third win on the trot.
Thrilled by GT's hat-trick of wins, skipper Hardik Pandya said bowling a full quota of four overs in the IPL is tiring but insisted he is getting better with each passing game.
Pandya has struggled to manage his bowling workload post his back surgery in 2019.
His last appearance for India was against Namibia in the T20 World Cup in Dubai on November 8 last year. At that marquee event, he had bowled just four overs -- two each against New Zealand and Afghanistan.
However, the Gujarat Titans skipper has bowled a full quota of four overs in all three of the team's matches in the ongoing IPL.
"I am going to get better with every game. I am getting tired as I'm not used to bowling four overs. But I'm getting better," Pandya said at the post-match presentation after his side defeated Punjab Kings by six wickets.
Pandya lavished praise on youngster Shubman Gill, who scored a brilliant 96, and all-rounder Rahul Tewatia who smashed two sixes of the last two deliveries to help the Titans register a memorable win.
"Gill is telling everybody that he is there. A lot of credit goes to Sai (Sudarshan) as well for that partnership. It kept us in the game.
"Hats off to Tewatia. It is difficult to go out there and hit, and to do it under this pressure is great," he added.