"Nightmare of PBKS"- Fans react as Rahul Tewatia's finishing blitz helps GT edge out PBKS in a close encounter in IPL 2023

Rahul Tewatia remained calm in a crunch situation and helped Gujarat Titans escape with a victory against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 18th match of IPL 2023. The thrilling encounter took place on Thursday, April 13, in Mohali.

PBKS batted first in the contest after losing the toss and put 153/8 on the scoreboard after 20 overs. Multiple Punjab batters got starts but failed to convert them, which hurt their side dearly. Matthew Short (36 off 24 balls) was their top scorer of the innings.

GT then got off to a decent start courtesy of a 30-run knock from Wriddhiman Saha. Kagiso Rabada, playing his first match of the season, dismissed him in the fifth over and announced his arrival in IPL 2023.

Things slowed down for the Gujarat Titans after that, as PBKS bowlers put a stranglehold on their scoring rate in the middle overs. Sai Sudharsan (19 off 20 balls) and Hardik Pandya (8 off 11 balls) struggled with timing and got out after sluggish knocks.

Shubman Gill (67 off 49 balls) completed his half-century at the other end but failed to shift gears and finish the chase quickly. The Punjab pacers bowled a couple of quiet overs to bring their side back into contention.

With seven runs needed from the last over, Sam Curran dismissed Gill off the second ball to make things interesting. Rahul Tewatia and David Miller could only get two singles next as the equation came down to four runs from two balls. Tewatia finished the chase in style with a magnificent four and won the match for GT.

After the conclusion of the match, fans took to Twitter to heap praise on Rahul Tewatia for maintaining composure and finishing yet another match successfully. His knock was even more special as it came against Punjab Kings, against whom he has done it multiple times over the past few years.

Here are some of the reactions:

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"I think Rahul Tewatia and PBKS is a love story"- Shubman Gill after the victory

Speaking after the conclusion of the match, Gujarat Titans opener Shubman Gill revealed that batting got difficult as the game progressed against the older ball.

The young batter opened up about Tewatia's fondness for finishing matches against PBKS. Gill cited a reference from a previous meeting between the two teams last year, saying:

"The wicket got a bit challenging in the end and it was difficult with the old ball. It's a big ground, so it's difficult to hit boundaries. It was important for us to pick our gaps and run hard between the wickets. (Pressure at the backend) I feel like I should have finished the match."

He added:

"I think Rahul Tewatia and PBKS is a love story. He finished with two sixes last time out and loves facing them."

GT will next face RR at home on April 16.