IPL 2020: Sanju Samson explains why he denied a single to Rahul Tewatia

Rahul Tewatia turned out to be Rajasthan Royals’ hero from a villain in no time against Kings XI Punjab. While chasing a huge 223 on board, Sanju Samson was hitting well, but Tewatia was seen struggling as he scored eight off 19 balls.

‘Smash it or get out!’ bellowed someone from the commentary panel, and what people saw next was one thriller of a game. Tewatia smoked Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over and ripped apart the strength of the Punjab side.

In the same match, Samson refused to take a single and kept the strike most of the time. While people questioned this move, he has come up with the proper explanation. He explained the right-left combination while rotating the strike and felt like he was the right person at that time to face those deliveries.

“When you are playing a tournament like IPL or a format like T20, each and every over becomes very important. When Maxwell was bowling, and offspinner, being a right-handed batsman and I was striking it really well, I just wanted to face the maximum amount of deliveries as possible from him.

I was thinking about hitting three to four sixes in those five or six balls. That is why I didn’t take a single. With Rahul Tewatia being a left-hander, at that moment of the innings, I thought that was the right decision to take. I was confident I could hit those sixes,” said Samson as quoted by The Indian Express.

I was obviously feeling the pressure: Rahul Tewatia

Tewatia also came out and opened how he was feeling the pressure in the same game. While Samson kept telling him that it was a matter of just one hit, it really felt hard at that time.

“When I had come in to bat, the situation was quite good because Sanju Samson and Steve Smith got us off to a great start,” said Tewatia on the eve of the game against KKR. “But when I couldn’t hit soon after pressure began to build. Sanju was constantly telling me that it was a matter of one hit. After that, I’d get the momentum I need so I was waiting for that one hit. I was obviously feeling the pressure,” said Tewatia.