Gujarat Titans Yash Dayal, Rahul Tewatia and Vijay Shankar celebrate the dismissal of Kolkata Knight Riders Rahmanullah Gurbaz during their match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, at Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Dropped from the game against Punjab Kings, beleaguered seamer Yash Dayal was provided with enough support but no sympathy by his IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans, after conceding five successive sixes in last outing, his teammate Rahul Tewatia said.
Needing 29 to win in the last over, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh smashed Dayal for five sixes on the trot to claim a sensational win against defending champions GT in front of their home crowd in Ahmedabad on April 9.
However, GT came back strongly with a six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings here on April 13, with ‘iceman’ Tewatia hitting the winning runs.
At the post-match press conference, Tewatia spoke about how the team backed the beleaguered seamer, who contributed to the team’s title triumph last season.
“This is the worst, you can’t go any lower than this,” is what Tewatia told Dayal after his forgettable outing.
“He was one of our main bowlers. We became champion last season and he played a massive role in it. He bowled well with the new ball as well in the death last year,” Tewatia said.
“One match cannot change the fact of what he has done for us. I don’t think anyone in the team has given him any sympathy,” he said at the post-match press conference.
“I told him, ‘One match has gone bad. If you want to go down then only you can hit the rock bottom otherwise at GT no one will ever make you feel bad about it. Keep practising and execute what didn’t happen that day and wait for your chance.
“This is the worst, you can’t go any lower than this’,” added the 29-year-old of his chat with Dayal.
After the well-set Shubman Gill’s dismissal for a 49-ball 67, Tewatia hit the winning runs for GT against PBKS.
When asked about the secrets behind his success ratio in crunch situations, the 29-year-old all-rounder from Haryana said he practices by setting himself targets.
“In the 14 league games, you tend to bat in such situations eight or nine times. Most of the time batting comes in 13-14 overs. For the last 3-4 years, I have been practising this. I set targets for myself through match situations.
“Match stimulations in open nets also gives me a better idea on how to take chances in a particular situation and how I should finish the match,” he said.
Tewatia praised the Punjab Kings bowlers for not allowing them easy runs in a easy chase of 154.
“Credit to Punjab Kings bowlers for making a strong comeback after we had a great start. The ball was reversing in the last few overs and it was difficult to hit,” Tewatia said.
