IPL 2022, GT vs RCB | Rahul Tewatia’s confidence has been fantastic, says Hardik Pandya

04/30/2022

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Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya has heaped praise on Rahul Tewatia, saying the way the latter carries his confidence has been fantastic. Tewatia starred with the bat in IPL 2022, this time against RCB on Saturday, as GT chased down a tough target of 171 in 19.3 overs with five wickets in hand.

Rahul Tewatia has been in a scintillating run with the bat for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The star all-rounder was picked up by GT at INR 9 crore at the 2022 mega auction and has been proving himself as one of the best finishers around in the cash-rich league. Tewatia was impressive with the bat again on Saturday, this time against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Match 43 of IPL 2022 at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.

Chasing a challenging target of 171, Tewatia scored a magnificent 43 not out off 25 balls, laced with five fours and one six, to help GT get the job done with three balls to spare. He was ably assisted by David Miller, who remained not out on 39 off 24 balls.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, GT skipper Hardik Pandya lauded Tewatia for his outstanding form in IPL 2022. Hardik credited Tewatia's temperament for finishing jobs on a regular basis. Notably, Tewatia was adjudged Player of the Match for his valiant knock.

"He's (Tewatia) been tremendous for us. The kind of confidence he carries, it's fantastic," Hardik said at the post-match presentation. "They (Tewatia and Muller) are stepping up whenever they get a chance and ensure that they are getting the job done. If you follow the process and follow the plan, the result looks after itself."

Out of GT's eight wins in nine matches in IPL 2022, seven came while chasing. Pandya heaped praise on their batters' aggressive approach, saying they have been stepping up whenever required.

"When things are going your way, in the past as well when I've been batting, we've managed to chase down three overs and 50 runs. That does not happen very often so we ensure we keep things in check. There have been times when the opposition is on top and we've managed to pull things back in our favour and ended up winning that game," he stated.

"Our plan is make sure to keep as little as possible for the end. If you lose wickets in the middle, the asking rate is always going to go up but the players that we have, it gives me a lot of confidence that even our 8, 9 and 10 can come in and win the game."

GT will next meet Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Tuesday in Match 48 of IPL 2022 at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.