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'Punched the ceiling. Dancing, jumping': Pietersen reveals Gavaskar's amazing reaction to Indian youngster's IPL outing
Kevin Pietersen recalls Sunil Gavaskar's incredible reaction to the Indian youngster's terrific outing in an IPL 2022 game.
The game between Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad saw the Hardik Pandya-led side register an incredible five-wicket win at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. The Titans were reeling at 140/5 in 16 overs when Rahul Tewatia (40*) and Rashid Khan (31*) forged an unbeaten 56-run stand in merely 24 deliveries to steer the Titans to a magnificent win against Sunrisers. Tewatia and Rashid smashed four sixes in the final over against Marco Jansen to secure a magnificent victory for the GT. Follow IPL 2022 Coverage
However, it wasn't before the 22-year-old pacer from Jammu, Umran Malik took Sunrisers Hyderabad on the verge of a win with figures of 5/25 before Tewatia and Rashid pulled off a heist for Gujarat Titans. Malik rattled through the Titans' top and middle-order, and former England captain Kevin Pietersen recalled Sunil Gavaskar's reaction as the speedster reached the fifth wicket of his innings.
“I think, what was more exciting than these wickets was Sunny's celebration in the commentary box when he picked up his fifer. Punching the ceiling, dancing, jumping, screaming,” Pietersen recalled during a chat on Star Sports.
“How often is that India has the fastest bowler in world cricket? We can see by the speeds of his delivery, and also by his accuracy. That's something that you must be loving,” Pietersen further added, as he conversed with Gavaskar.
Though his efforts went for a losing cause, Umran was rightly adjudged the player of the match for his fiery spell of fast bowling, one of the finest in IPL history.
"The idea was to bowl fast and maintain length and plan the wickets. Like I dismissed Hardik bhai with a bouncer and shuffled up (Wriddhiman) Saha and bowled him out with a yorker," Malik said after the match on Wednesday night.
"I tried to mix my bowling, and target the wickets as it is a small ground. Otherwise our bowling has done well."
