IND vs ENG: Here’s what Rahul Tewatia had to say on the national call-up

The 5 sixes that Rahul Tewatia hit off Sheldon Cottrell in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will forever be etched in cricketing folklore. It was this savage assault from Tewatia that made him a household name in the country. And, his consistent performances have now earned him a maiden call up to the Indian squad for the T20I series against England.

Tewatia scored 255 runs in the 2020 edition of the IPL and scored his runs at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 139.34. He was also handy with his leg-spin, scalping 10 wickets last year. His economy rate too was a very decent 7.09.

Now, Tewatia has opened up and said that finding a place in the Haryana side, especially as a spinner was the toughest. He also added that the Haryana side had players of the calibre of Amit Mishra, Jayant Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal. The 27-year-old also said that cementing a place in the Haryana side gave him confidence and also helped him to gain more trust in his skills and back them.

“Imagine fighting it out for a place in the team which has legends like Amit Mishra Bhai. Then you had Jayant Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal has also represented the state team whenever he has not been busy playing for India. The level of competition for spinners in the Haryana team is one of the toughest I would say. Finding a place and performing for Haryana not only gave me confidence but also helped me back my skills,” said Tewatia as quoted by Times Now.

Rahul Tewatia eager to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli

Rahul Tewatia also said that so far, he has only played against Indian skipper and batting legend Virat Kohli. He added that he would now get a chance to share a dressing room with Kohli. The leg spinner concluded by stating that he would like to learn the tricks of the trade from the Indian cricketers and would also understand the art of competing against the best players in the world and succeeding.

“So far, I played against Virat Kohli in the IPL. Now I will play with him and share the dressing room with him. Cannot wait to share the dressing room with him and some of the best cricketers in world cricket. It will be all about learning from them and understanding how they compete against the best in the business and succeed,” concluded Tewatia.

The first T20I between India and England will be played on 12th March 2021 at Ahmedabad.