Gujarat Titans all-rounder Rahul Tewatia, in an exclusive with DailyExpertNews, opened up about what he expects from the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Since breaking five sixes in an over while playing for Rajasthan Royals against the Punjab Kings, Tewatia has become a household name and expectations of him have grown. This year he may represent a new team, but along with Hardik Pandya, he would try to help his franchise win the IPL. Tewatia was picked up in the auction for Rs 9 crore.
“Gujarat Titans have shown a lot of confidence in me. They are a new franchise and they chose me. When you go to a team, the goal is to win the IPL title and it’s the same here too. The mentality would be to watch it match-by-match and follow the processes,” Tewatia told DailyExpertNews.
“I’ve been playing IPL for a while. If I went for such a high price (Rs 9 crore), it shows that they believe in me. I will try to do my best and I will try to fill any role that it team gives me,” he added.
Spin bowling all-rounder Tewatia also opened up about who is that one player he’s really looking forward to sharing the locker room in the IPL. He also admitted that he wanted to add a “mystery” aspect to his bowling.
“I am looking forward to learning together with everyone in the squad. We are a team so we have to create a family environment. I am eager to share the locker room with everyone. I will share the locker room with Rashid Khan for the first time I’m looking forward to playing with him,” said Tewatia.
“Everyone has their own strength, you have to be willing to learn at all times. Rashid Khan is a mysterious bowler, so he will try to add a little mystery to my bowling,” he added.
Tewatia will share the locker room with players like Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill. The all-rounder wants to distract Hardik’s brain from the mentality he maintains during pressure cooker situations.
“Everyone knows Hardik Pandya’s abilities, he has shown what he can do in international cricket and the IPL. I will talk to him about the mentality. I will talk to him during the practice sessions,” said the 28-year-old.
“We have a squad that covers all bases, we have a perfect mix of young and experienced players. We have a good balance, we will try to have a good season,” he added.
Since breaking Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over at IPL 2020, Tewatia’s expectations have risen. While managing expectations is no easy task, Tewatia gets motivation out of it and makes him perform better.
“The responsibility was always there, but since I played that famous knockout for Rajasthan Royals against the Punjab Kings, expectations of me have grown. It’s a good thing that there are expectations of me and it motivates me to to the best of my ability. There are new teams in the IPL, there are two groups. The format seems interesting,” said Tewatia.
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The IPL 2022 season kicks off on March 26 with the tournament opener played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium. Gujarat Titans open their campaign on March 28 against the Lucknow Super Giants.
Gujarat Titans Squad: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, Varun Aaron, B Sai Sudarshan.
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