The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 produced another nail-biting contest as the defending champions Gujarat Titans secured a 6-wicket victory over Punjab Kings on the penultimate ball of the match. It was the ‘Ice Man’ Rahul Tewatia who scored the match-winning boundary for his side when 4 runs were required from the final two balls. While the moment was understandably heroic, Ian Bishop’s commentary on the occasion worked as icing on the cake.
Rahul Tewatia has developed a habit of producing match-winning performances against Punjab. Last season, Guajrat needed 12 runs from the final two balls to win the match against the same opponents. Tewatia slammed two consecutive sixes to wrap up the chase for his side.
Though the task wasn’t as big this time, Tewatia was there to take his team across the line.
Seeing Tewatia score the match-winning boundary, Bishop said on commentary: “The Ice Man, Rahul Tewatia does it again. One of the most magnificent finishers in the game in the IPL in recent times”.
@rahultewatia02 does a Rahul Tewatia
He smashes the winnings runs for @gujarat_titans
Scorecard https://t.co/RkqkycoCcd #TATAIPL | #PBKSvGT pic.twitter.com/LMLGnRn7Kd
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 13, 2023
Seeing another match ending in a close-knit encounter, Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya said after the match that he would appreciate it if his team’s matches didn’t end the way they have been ending in the last couple of games.
“To be very honest I would not appreciate the game going this deep. There was definitely a lot for us to learn from this game. That’s the beauty of sports, it’s never over till it’s over. We need to go back to the drawing board. They bowled really well. Luckily all our batters are in good nick. We should take risks and play shots in the middle overs, need to make sure the game doesn’t go so deep.
“The ball was getting dried up, but the wicket was a belter. Wasn’t surprised when Mohit and Alzarri were bowling. He has done a lot of hard work, he has shown patience and his time has come [on Mohit]. It would have been a tough pill to swallow if the game had gone the other side. I would like to finish the game earlier, not a big fan of taking it to the last over,” he said after the match.
With the win, Gujarat have gone third in the points table.
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