"I feel very happy to see my face on banners at the airport" - Rahul Tewatia

Gujarat Titans all-rounder Rahul Tewatia has expressed his pride at being one of the faces of the franchise. The 29-year-old said he feels more of it when his family and relatives see his photo on the banners.

Tewatia established himself as one of the most talented finishers when he won the match for the Rajasthan Royals out of nowhere against Punjab Kings in Sharjah in IPL 2020. He followed it up with a similar cameo against the SunRisers Hyderabad that year and has performed the role equally well for the Gujarat Titans.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo's Cricket Monthly, Tewatia recalled how one of his friends told him that he was on the team banner at the airport.

"Every player dreams of such things. One of my friends was travelling to Ahmedabad about a month before the start of the IPL and he sent me the picture with twinkling heart emojis saying: "Dekh, bhai". Obviously, I feel very happy to see my face on banners at the airport. Now when my relatives, even my wife, send me that picture when they travel to Ahmedabad, I feel very happy, thinking how all my well-wishers are genuinely happy. "Rahul has made us proud."

The Haryana-born cricketer slammed five sixes in an over against Punjab Kings' Sheldon Cottrell as the Royals scored an unlikely 51 off the final three overs to chase down 224 successfully.

"That innings was special" - Rahul Tewatia on his 25-ball 43 against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Rahul Tewatia and added an unbroken 79 with David Miller to guide the Titans to a win over RCB. (Credits: Twitter)

Speaking of his cameo for the Titans against RCB at the Brabourne Stadium in IPL 2022, the southpaw admitted the opposition's bowling unit was strong, but they wanted to finish the game by hook or crook. He explained:

"That innings was special, more so because the top order had fallen. But whatever Miller and I planned, the game flowed that way. RCB had a good bowling attack: Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga. David and I were pumped up and we were really enjoying batting. It was an overwhelming feeling after we finished the game. Whatever we were thinking, whatever we were planning, we kept repeating. We were happy because the team was getting two points. As for the pose, the Hanuman ji inside of me came out in the open."

Tewatia will be in action when the defending champions face the Mumbai Indians in an away game on Friday.