IPL 2020: Rahul Tewatia mimics Sheldon Cottrell's salute in dressing room after smacking him for 5 sixes

Rahul Tewatia, after being unable to even make contact with the ball during the initial part of his innings, ultimately emerged as Rajasthan Royal’s hero against Kings XI Punjab at Sharjah. Tewatia– who was 8 off 19 balls at one stage– did something incredible in the 18th over bowled by Sheldon Cottrell. The left-hander whacked the West Indies pacer for five sixes in six deliveries to completely shift the match in his side’s favour.

After being promoted up the batting order, the southpaw was initially bashed by many former cricketers and fans. Many even requested the inclusion of the substitution rule in the shortest format of the game. However, Tewatia, defying all odds, destroyed Cottrell in the course of smashing blistering 31-ball 50.

In an epic run-chase, the Royals hunted down a record IPL total of 224 runs, breaking their own decade-old record in the process. It was an uphill task for RR to chase down a colossal target. But skipper Steve Smith made 50 and Sanju Samson made 85 with 7 sixes to lay the foundation of their run-chase.

Twitter erupted after Rahul Tewatia’s match-winning knock

In the end, it was Tewatia’s unexpected fireworks which sealed the victory for RR. They amassed 51 runs in the last three overs to win the match by 4 wickets. After his heroics at Sharjah, Tewatia imitated Cottrell’s celebration by doing a salute himself in the dressing room.

“Straight from the dressing room, into your hearts,” wrote Royals along with sharing Tewatia’s video. Cottrell had also performed his famous ‘salute’ after dismissing Jos Buttler early in RR’s run-chase. Little did he know that he had to face Tewatia’s wrath in the 18th over.

Twitter was flooded with congratulatory wishes for Tewatia post his awe-inspiring batting show. He became a star overnight as the internet was only about the Haryana leggie for the next few hours. “What we have seen from Tewatia in the nets is what we saw in that Cottrell’s over. I told someone as along as he gets one, floodgates will open,” RR skipper Smith also heaped praise on the southpaw after the victory.

Royals, meanwhile, climbed second in the points table after registering the thrilling victory against the Punjab side. In their opening fixture, Smith’s troops had also thumped Chennai Super Kings by 16 runs on 22 September. They will now take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on September 30 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.