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Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Shimron Hetmyer admitted that the final-over win over the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, April 16, made up for their three losses against the same opponents in IPL 2022.
Hetmyer was in the thick of things as the Royals beat the Titans by successfully chasing down 178 with four balls to spare and three wickets in hand. The West Indies star remained unbeaten at 56 off 26 deliveries and smashed a six to take the IPL 2022 runners-up over the line against the defending champions.
GT beat RR three times last year, twice in the league stage before the all-important win in the final.
Speaking after Sunday's game, Hetmyer explained that he was happy to see a spinner bowl the final over. He was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo:
"I was actually pretty happy, to be honest, to be facing a spinner in the final over. But I think he had bowled pretty well tonight. So I was just thinking, if I can just get a double off the first ball and then just see what happens after that. Just really wanted to win against these guys because they beat us three times last year. So it was a kind of revenge really."
The inaugural IPL champions didn't have the desired start as Mohammed Shami dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler cheaply. The Royals were reeling at 55-4 at one stage before Hetmyer and skipper Sanju Samson revived the innings with a 59-run stand.
"You just try to program your mind that way" - Shimron Hetmyer
Hetmyer further claimed that he consistently prepares himself mentally to finish games as he did against GT. The left-handed batter elaborated:
"I just practise it really. It always helps to practise with the mindset that you're a couple of wickets down and you have to get say 100 runs probably in eight overs. You just try to program your mind that way, and so far it's working."
Following the three-wicket win over GT at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Royals are atop the standings with four wins from five IPL 2023 games.
