3 reasons why Rahul Tewatia can be the finisher India requires in T20Is
Rahul Tewatia's emergence as a T20 finisher has already become folklore in the annals of IPL cricket. But is it time for the 'Iceman' to get drafted into the Indian T20 side? He has certainly done his reputation no harm in the ongoing IPL season with some blistering knocks.
Coming into bat in a crunch situation against the Delhi Capitals on Tuesday, Tewatia struck three consecutive sixes in the penultimate over against Anrich Nortje. This brought the equation down to 12 required off the final over.
He couldn’t quite get his side over the line, losing his wicket to Ishant Sharma in the final over. Still, he made a big impression with this striking ability.
Tewatia has already done great things in his IPL career. This includes winning a match for the Titans last season by smashing Odean Smith for two consecutive sixes with 12 required off the last two balls.
With many players being given the opportunity to perform at the international level in the shortest format, Tewatia could well make his international debut soon. If he succeeds at the highest level, he could be a part of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup next year.
With that in mind, let's take a look at three reasons why Rahul Tewatia could be the finisher India requires in T20Is.
#1 Having MS Dhoni-like calmness in crunch situations
Rahul Tewatia’s sample size of matches might not be huge, but he has done enough to be called 'The Iceman'.
He has been a wonderboy in the IPL over the last few seasons and calmness under immense pressure has been the hallmark of his batting in the death overs.
Tewatia has found himself in crunch situations quite often, especially in the last two years, and has come out trumps with his uncanny knack of finding the boundary.
The 29-year-old is hugely confident in his ability just like a certain MS Dhoni, who is arguably the greatest white ball finisher the game has seen.
#2 Backing his strengths and working accordingly
Rahul Tewatia always backs his ability and finds a way to come out on top during the death overs. In the match against DC, he found a way to make Nortje bowl to his strengths and smashed him for three sixes.
He loves using the depth of the crease and also has the ability to play square of the wicket, as well as behind the wicket. He knows his limitations and hardly plays cheeky dabs and glides but rather, relies on his muscular strength.
#3 Rahul Tewatia is a six-hitting machine
The impact that Rahul Tewatia has had in the last few years has been nothing short of phenomenal. He has the incredible ability to make tough situations look manageable and win games from hopeless positions.
Despite not having a huge range of shots in his repertoire, Tewatia has the ability to hit sixes at will. He came into the limelight in 2020 when he smashed five sixes in a Sheldon Cottrell over.
After struggling in the initial stages of his innings, Tewatia turned on the heat in the last three overs, leading RR to a record run chase.
But an international call-up is yet to materialize. India is desperately looking for a proven finisher in the T20 format and Tewatia has all the ingredients to become a successful finisher for Men in Blue in the coming years.