IPL 2022: He has justified his hefty price tag – Virender Sehwag on Rahul Tewatia

Gujarat Titans spend a huge amount of INR nine crores to rope in all-rounder Rahul Tewatia in the IPL 2022 mega auction.

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag believes Tewatia has justified his price tag as he has delivered the goods for the new franchise.

Earlier in the season, Tewatia had smashed two sixes on the final two balls against Odean Smith to get his team over the line versus Punjab Kings. The left-hander once again played a crucial knock of 40 runs off just 21 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Wednesday to help his team chase down an imposing target of 196 runs.

GT was behind the eighth ball after Umran Malik dismissed in-form David Miller and Abhinav Manohar in his last over. However, Rahul Tewatia kept his team in the contest by finding boundaries at regular intervals.

The left-hander has been instrumental in providing the finishing touches for GT in the ongoing season. The southpaw has scored 136 runs in seven innings at an average of 34 and a blistering strike rate of 158.13 in the ongoing season.

Meanwhile, 22 runs were needed in the final over and Tewatia was able to put pressure on Marco Jansen from the get-go as he smashed him for a six on the first ball of the over.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag said: “Rahul Tewatia had the responsibility to see them through after David Miller’s wicket and he did that. His contribution was even more valuable than Rashid’s. If he would have also gotten after early then Rashid would have had to score a lot more runs and that would have been difficult for him. He has justified his hefty price tag with multiple impactful performances.”

On the other hand, former Indian pacer RP Singh stated that Gujarat Titans somehow find a way to close off the game despite being on the backfoot.

He said, “Last time it was Rahul Tewatia who hit 2 sixes from 2 balls to win the match. Rashid Khan joined him this time around and they hit 4 sixes on this occasion to cross the line. They somehow find a way to finish such close games. Now teams must look to give the 20th over to their best bowler.”

GT will next face Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday.