Watch: Rahul Tewatia put on yet another late-innings masterclass, pumping life into a flailing Gujarat Titans chase with a hat-trick of sixes against Delhi Capitals’ Anrich Nortje in today’s IPL 2023 match.
To bet on the IPL with our Match Centre partners bet365, head here.
Before the six-hitting spree, the Titans needed 30 off the last nine balls: despite Hardik Pandya and Tewatia being at the crease, it was an extremely difficult equation, given how bowlers had dominated the contest. That changed when Tewatia took on Nortje: unbothered by the South African’s rapid pace, he hit three consecutive sixes to bring life back into the match.
The first one was a low full-toss on the leg side. Tewatia got down one knee and swatted it over deep square leg in trademark fashion to begin the onslaught. The next ball was a full delivery, but Tewatia was equal to the task again, crunching it over the long-on fence to make it two in two. Nortje erred in his length one final time, sending another full-toss instead of a yorker, and Tewatia swung it away, powering it to cow corner.
The equation was suddenly down to 12 off the last over.
Ishant Sharma, though, held his nerves, giving away just six runs and snaring Tewatia to neutralise the late assault. It included a stunning one-handed by Rilee Rossouw off the penultimate ball, diving full length to stop a full-blooded Rashid Khan strike and save his team a couple of runs.
Delhi Capitals, last on the table, now have three wins from nine games and are still alive in the tournament. Gujarat Titans stay at the top with 12 points.
