Rajasthan Royals have managed to pull off the highest successful run chase in IPL history on Sunday. Asked to chase a mammoth 224, Royals replied in style thanks to great knocks from Sanju Samson, Rahul Tewatia and Steve Smith.
The moment of the day came when Tewatia managed to hit five sixes against West Indies bowler Sheldon Cottrell. Tewatia had answer to everything Cottrell tried in that over. Needing 51 runs from the last 18 balls, Tewatia’s knock reduced the equation to just 21 runs from 12 balls.
Prior to this, Tewatia struggled big time in the innings. He only managed to score 8 runs from his first 19 balls. His slow innings has put tremendous pressure on Sanju Samson as he succumbed while trying to reduce the required rate. However, Tewatia got into his groove at the right time and disposed sixes all around the ground.
On the first ball of the over, Tewatia heaved the ball over deep square leg. It was a flat six but no one saw what was coming in the over. For the second ball, Cottrell tried to repeat the same short ball and Tewatia pulled over backward square leg.
Cottrell overcompensated for the third ball and bowled a full delivery outside off. Tewatia lofted it over long off to score a hattrick of sixes. Tewatia managed to hit four in a row when he slogged a low full toss over deep mid wicket.
The Rajasthan Royals dug out as well as cricket fans were shocked to see such brutal hitting. Mainly because Tewatia was struggling to connect bat to ball just a few moments earlier. On the final delivery of the over, he once again lofted the slow ball over deep mid wicket.
This over completely took the match from Kings XI Punjab. Everyone expected Punjab to cruise, once Samson was dismissed. But Tewatia had other ideas as he redeemed himself from the earlier show in the innings. He eventually scored a fifty on the night.
A couple of sixes from Jofra Archer and a boundary from Tom Curran helped Rajasthan Royals win the match in ease. The five sixes against Cottrell will definitely stay in the minds of IPL fans for many years to come.
