IPL 2020: The way Rahul Tewatia played Rashid Khan showed that he is a special player, says Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the manner in which Rahul Tewatia handled Rashid Khan under pressure showed that the all-rounder is a special player.

He made this observation while reviewing the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) come-from-behind win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

Talking about the Rajasthan Royals' batting effort, Aakash Chopra pointed out that they got off to the worst possible start by losing the wickets of Ben Stokes, Steve Smith and Jos Buttler pretty early in their chase.

"When RR came to bat, SRH got three quick wickets - firstly Stokes who was made to open, Smith got run out and then Buttler as well. With their three overseas pillars gone, it was down to Robin Uthappa and the kids."

The renowned commentator lauded the efforts of Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag for rising to the occasion and helping the Rajasthan Royals register an unlikely victory.

"And the kids gave a lot of enjoyment. Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag were absolutely top-class. And these youngsters won Rajasthan Royals a match I never felt they could win."

Aakash Chopra observed that it was a much-needed win for the Rajasthan Royals as it came on the back of four consecutive losses, apart from the fact that their star batsmen failed to fire.

"So RR registered their third win, which is so important because they had lost their last 4 matches. And they won without Samson and Smith scoring runs and despite Buttler and Stokes failing. So once they fire, what is going to happen."

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Aakash Chopra on Rahul Tewatia's game-changing knock

Rahul Tewatia struck Rashid Khan for three consecutive boundaries [P/C: iplt20.com]

While picking Rahul Tewatia as the gamechanger for the Rajasthan Royals in their clash against SRH, Aakash Chopra was particularly effusive in his praise for the manner in which the all-rounder played Rashid Khan.

"Everything else is fine, but that 18th over of Rashid Khan, first ball four with a reverse sweep, second ball four with another reverse sweep and an even better shot. The third ball when he hit the boundary over the covers, it was the best of them all."

Making a mockery of the world's best!#RahulTewatiya #RiyanParag #RashidKhan #IPL2020 #SRHvRR @rahultewatia02 @SunRisers @rajasthanroyals #Cricket https://t.co/srrXrWKdPX

— Outlook Magazine (@Outlookindia) October 11, 2020

Aakash Chopra signed off by stating that Rahul Tewatia's boundary over covers off the SRH leg-spinner's bowling, that too under immense pressure, showed that he is a special talent.

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"If you can execute such a nice shot under so much pressure, then Rahul Tewatia, you are a special player. I really like watching you and you won RR a match they were about to lose."

The Rajasthan Royals were down in the dumps, and required 81 runs off the last 48 deliveries when Rahul Tewatia joined Riyan Parag in the middle. The duo first got their eye in and then launched a brutal attack on the SRH bowlers to take their team to an improbable victory.

What a way to win the game. A MAXIMUM by Riyan Parag as @rajasthanroyals beat #SRH by 5 wickets.This has been absolutely phenomenal by Tewatia and Parag.#Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/vchiPNAPWJ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020