Dial Tewatia for 12 runs in 2 balls; Hardik’s miscalculation on Chahar’s off day

Twelve runs off two balls to win? Just call Rahul Tewatia. Betraying no nerves, as though he was out for a quiet stroll by the lake-side, he waited for Odean Smith, the scattergun Caribbean quick. A quick sideways glance of the field and he makes up his mind. He would stick to his biggest strength—target the arc from long-on to midwicket, no matter where the ball is. But Smith obliged, bowled a ball on middle and leg, his swinging arc.

Tewatia massacred the ball, and though the ball did not fly off the sweet-spot and just about eluded the fielder, it fetched the result his team wanted. He knew where the next ball would be—wide outside the off-stump, so he shuffled to the off- side and dragged the full ball over long-on to wrap up the game without any fuss or strain. Though Tewatia tends to go largely unnoticed in most games, he orchestrates such grand heists that he would not be forgotten.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧. 𝗔. 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛! 👌 👌@rahultewatia02 creams two successive SIXES on the last two deliveries as the @hardikpandya7-led @gujarat_titans beat #PBKS & complete a hat-trick of wins in the #TATAIPL 2022! 👏 👏 #PBKSvGT

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/GJN6Rf8GKJ pic.twitter.com/ke0A1VAf41

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 8, 2022

Sandip G

Pandya the non-striker

Hardik Pandya was upset and very disappointed at his partner David Miller. This is what happened. With 18 runs needed from 6 balls, Miller had a swing and a miss. Even as the ball was collected by the ‘keeper, Pandya ran across and was easily run out. Pandya swung around and gestured to Miller that he should have stayed in the striker’s end till the throw had come. Even if he had hit the stumps, they could have taken the run.

And if Bairstow had adjusted and thrown it at the non-striker’s end for a run out,Pandya would have been still on strike. Never mind Pandya, for Rahul Tewatia did what he does for a living. Two balls, two sixes. Boooom..

Sriram Veera

Chahar’s bad luck

At the end of the over, he collected a throw and flung the ball down rather gently but the disgust was evident. Rahul Chahar was miffed. He could have taken two wickets in that 17th over but was let down by his team-mates. He was defending 50 from 24 balls at the start and almost immediately could have had Shubman Gill but the wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow failed to collect it cleanly. Seeing Gill charge out, Chahar slipped it wide down the leg side but Bairstow wasn’t as quick as Chahar’s thinking.

Then after bleeding two fours to Hardik Pandya, he got one to skid on quick from back of length and Pandya fell into the trap, going for a pull. But Kagiso Rabada ran all the way from deep square-leg, got there in time but suddenly paused. But the ball dipped rapidly and a short distance from him and he had to lunge out in the end but couldn’t hold on. It could have been the match-winning over but it wasn’t to be for Chahar and the game hurtled on.

Sriram Veera

Hardik bouncer makes Mongia go gaga

Nothing has gone right for Mayank Agarwal, the batsman, ever since he became captain this IPL. Odd shot selection and being late in execution have plagued him. The other day, he went so far across the line to a full and straight ball from Umesh Yadav that it raised eyebrows. As if he were Graeme Smith, the only batsman who used to play the shot to midwicket with a straight bat! Of course, Mayank missed and was trapped LBW. Tonight, he was late on a bouncer from Hardik Pandya, who shared the new ball.

Perhaps, he was surprised that Pandya produced a bouncer at his pace, but Mayank was pretty late on the shot and, unsurprisingly, it popped up to midwicket. Former India wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia, on Gujarati commentary, didn’t slip into his popular cry of ‘aaaigaaa’ but raved about Pandya’s effectiveness as a bowler this season. “Oh ho ho! Hardik Pandya kamaaal karıiya chey (is doing wonders)! Pace, swing, seam karvaache!”

Sriram Veera

Lockie has got his number

Lockie Ferguson stunned Jonny Bairstow with a pacy bouncer, inducing a weak poke to gully where Rahul Tewatia pouched a good tumbling catch. Ferguson is all about pace, his black shoes, his moustache, and jersey no. 69. For a while, he was not allowed that jersey number by New Zealand Cricket because they feared its popular double meaning. He used to wear it for his state team Auckland Aces but NZC wasn’t too keen. A spokesperson for NZC had told stuff.co.nz in 2017, “69 is the only number that can’t be used, due to its double meaning.”

But Ferguson seems to have won them over as he donned that number at last year’s T20 World Cup. Gujarat Lions certainly don’t have any issues. The reason he wears that number, though, is nothing do with any double innuendo. He says it’s for astrological reasons.
NZC posted on Instagram that “Lockie Ferguson has a new playing number (69) which is a significant number to him and his family.”

Sriram Veera

Tewatia gets Tewatia treatment

Tewatia-ed is a verb that entered the IPL lexicon after Rahul Tewatia’s assault on Sheldon Cottrell in the 2020 edition. The Jamaican was smashed for 30 runs in an over to pull off a miraculous heist. But on Friday, against the same opponents Tewatia had launched that assault, he was Tewatia-ed by Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma. His benign leg-breaks, sans break or fizz, kick or kink, were duly taken to the cleaners. The Englishman screamed the first ball, an inviting short ball, through cover. The second ball was even shorter, but the batter’s eyes lit up so brightly that he ended up dragging it for a single.

Enter Sharma with an infectious spunk. Tewatia served up the equivalent of a welcome sherbet, and Sharma gulped it over midwicket. The next ball traced the same arc. By this time, Tewatia’s bowling was akin to a buffet for batsmen. Sharma, in his over-enthusiasm, almost holed out at long-off, only for the catch to burst through Abhinav Manohar’s palms. Back-on-strike Livingstone spilled no time in tucking the last ball for another six. Thus ended the 24-runs over, but it could have cost Tewatia more runs. Talk of sport being a leveller—Tewatia being Tewatia-ed.

Sandip G

Agarwal Q&A

“Is time out like this allowed?” Jonny Bairstow said words to that effect to the umpire after Sai Sudarshan ran off the field to presumably attend nature’s call. Someone from Punjab team asked can we not take time out now? Umpire declined that too. Meanwhile, Mayank Agarwal asked his fielders to get back to their fielding position and snapped out at someone (who said something that couldn’t be deciphered on stump mic), “Hum, apna kaam karen? (Can we do our work?).

For his incredible 96 (59) at the top, @ShubmanGill is adjudged as the Player of the Match as @gujarat_titans win by 6 wickets in a final-over thriller. 👏 👏

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/GJN6Rf8GKJ#TATAIPL | #PBKSvGT pic.twitter.com/9M7pAzMpqA

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 8, 2022

Soon, Shubman Gill stabbed a ball away, bat close to the pad, and the bowler and the keeper Bairstow wanted a referral for a lbw. Mayank stormed in, “Are you sure?” Bairstow said he wasn’t and Mayank shook his head and hands and went back. Good he did, as the ball went off the bat.

Sriram Veera