IPL 2023, PBKS vs GT emotional rollercoaster: Rahul Tewatia, a noun, a verb, an IPL emotion & Hardik Pandya ‘s aesthetic off drive

Rare miscue for Shikhar
Shikhar Dhawan falls, moving down the track to a seamer. It doesn’t happen often. Usually, when he goes down the track, unlike many, Dhawan doesn’t try to smash the ball. He gets into a position from where he manoeuvres the ball either up and over or through gaps. He can go over off or on the leg side, twing his body into position from where he unfurls the pick-up shot over leg or a more expansive drive through off. And that’s what he was looking exactly to do against Joshua Little in the 4th over. Down he went the track, twed his body, and tried to pick-up the length ball over wide mid-on but instead, ended up miscuing a catch to mid-on.
– Sriram Veera
Out of the shell & smashing them
For years, Matt Short has been grappling with self doubts. A big hitter, a more than useful offspinner, a very good slip-catcher but something didn’t click. Until couple of years ago, when his domestic team’s coach Chris Rogers, former Australian batsman, called him over for a chat and sprinkled in McCullum’s ‘Bazball’ theory.

A last-over finish yet AGAIN! 👌 👌
It’s the @gujarat_titans who hold their nerve against the spirited @PunjabKingsIPL ! 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/RkqkycoCcd #TATAIPL | #PBKSvGT pic.twitter.com/jYOqN5GBtK
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 13, 2023
“In previous years I’d probably dwell on that a little bit too much. In Shield cricket I’ve really struggled with adapting to different situations. And I go into my shell a little bit, blocking my ability to try and score and probably being a bit too defensive at times,” Short told the Unplayable Podcast. In T20 in BBL, he has been smashing them.
He punched Mohammad Shami on the up through the off a few times though the eye-catching one would be the crunched pulled six off Alzaari Joseph in the 5th over.

Big wicket, courtesy Little! 👍 👍
Josh Little strikes as Alzarri Joseph takes a fine catch. 👏 👏#PBKS 2 down as Shikhar Dhawan departs.
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/RkqkycoCcd#TATAIPL | #PBKSvGT | @gujarat_titans pic.twitter.com/MCR2Y9OLmO
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 13, 2023
“Now if I get dropped, it’s like, ‘nah, bugger it, just keep playing shots, (I’m) still out there and get another opportunity’. So taking the positive option rather than going into my shell, it’s been a really big one, and just not dwelling on the previous ball or previous over and just keep going with … Just being freed up, I might play a rash shot here and there or I might play and miss or nick one and get dropped in the slips.”
Bazball is beginning to show its effects in Australia as well.
– Sriram Veera
The aesthetic off drive
A pacy Kagiso Rabada lifter was too quick for Hardik Pandya. It climbed on him, blurred past his attempted pull, grazed his helmet and flew to the third man boundary. He was fine though, smiling and hugging the physio who had rushed out. Rabada didn’t follow-up well, though, serving a half-volley that was gorgeously creamed through wide mid-off. Hardik knew the aesthetic quality of the shot and held his pose for a while. His off drive has a lovely old-school aesthetic about it – none of these modern-day punch-drives and jabs, but a fluent silken swing of the bat. A kind of an off-drive that will look good even if he were just shadow batting. But in the next over, the 15th of the innings, from Harpreet Brar the left-arm spinner, Pandya holed out with an heave-ho to long-on.
– Sriram Veera
Tewatia, a noun, a verb, an IPL emotion

!@rahultewatia02 does a Rahul Tewatia‼️
He smashes the winnings runs for @gujarat_titans 👌 👌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/RkqkycoCcd #TATAIPL | #PBKSvGT pic.twitter.com/LMLGnRn7Kd
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 13, 2023
An extraordinary fielding effort at covers from a diving Rishi Dhawan turned a four to 1 off the first ball of the final over from Sam Curran. Needing 6 from 5 balls, Shubman Gill fell swinging across the line to a length delivery that skidded on to knock out the off stump. He curled in a superb yorker but Rahul Tewatia sent it to long-on for a single. With 5 from 3, came another crashing yorker and David Miller failed to connect, and the ball popped off his pad behind the stumps. Tewatia wanted the single, Miller stalled but responded just in time and with the in-rushing keeper going for the striker’s end, they were through.
Now, Kagiso Rabada had a word with Curran. 4 from the final 2 balls. Curran abandoned the yorker and went for a length ball on the middle stump but Tewatia, a noun, a verb, and a IPL emotion, shuffled outside off, went down on his knee, to lap it over short fine-leg. “Sometimes, you come across Rahul Tewatia and there is nothing you can do,” Tewatia’s great fan Graeme Swann would say on air.
– Sriram Veera