If the IPL needed a fillip for its dwindling TV ratings after the first week, Rahul Tewatia provided it at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai late on Friday evening. With 13 needed off the last three balls, Odean Smith conceded an overthrow with Tewatia out of his crease at the non-striker’s end. That allowed the batter to cross over making it 12 off the last two.
Tewatia excels in such circumstances. The next two deliveries were swatted over deep mid-wicket to give Gujarat Titans an almost improbable six-wicket victory. Tewatia’s heroics left Titans captain Hardik Pandya bewildered. He sat in the dugout still trying to come to terms with the events that had just unfolded.
Such acts of daredevilry is sure to improve TV ratings, which have seen a viewership drop of 33 per cent according to the latest Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) numbers.
The 190-run target on Friday wasn’t difficult because of the dew and the carry on the wicket. Even the early loss of Matthew Wade had no effect as Shubman Gill and Sai
Sudharsan kept the momentum going. Shubman was brilliant and classy during his 96 off 59 balls.
Shubman showed that batting in T20s is not just about adopting a slambang approach. It doesn’t require mere slogging to excel in this format. Judicious selection of shots, poise and elegance can also fetch the desired results.
The timing and the punch behind his shots were exemplary and he kept finding the gaps consistently. Regarded mostly as a leg-side player, he seems to have worked on his strokes on the off side, especially in the cover and mid off region. But that doesn’t mean he missed out on his trademark pulls and jabs.
The only time Shubman tried a slog he was caught at extra cover. Hardik made a useful 27 off 18 but was unlucky to be run out at the start of the final over. But then Tewatia made sure that the hard work didn’t go to waste.
Pandya show
If there is one bright spot from the Gujarat Titans’ campaign in this edition of IPL, it has to be the resurgence of Hardik. The all-rounder hasn’t just been bowling his quota of four overs in all the matches but has consistently clocked the 140kmph mark. His batting was never under scrutiny
but it was his inability to bowl that had resulted in an uproar following India’s debacle in the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. Twelve months apart, he could be India’s trump card on the fast and bouncy wickets in Australia.
Punjab Kings managed to reach 189 for nine, largely because of Livingstone’s 64 off 27 balls. But Friday was all about Tewatia and his two sixes.
