It rained sixes in Sharjah. 449 runs were scored in 40 overs by the two teams with the batsman completely dominating the bowlers.
Five batsmen from the two sides scored half-centuries, a rarity in T20Is but it was the one that came from the unlikeliest of sources that proved to be the most crucial and most eye-catching of them all.
Replacing his captain, Steve Smith, at the crease Rahul Tewatia was a surprise arrival at No 4. It seemed to be a move that backfired after he managed only 23 runs in 17 deliveries after Rajasthan Royals had got off to a perfect start chasing a mammoth total of 224.
Just when one thought Tewatia had cost his team the game, he stepped up to do the unthinkable. He smashed Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over to completely change the complexion of the game.
The Royals then completed a record chase as Tewatia went from villain to hero in a matter of minutes.
Twitter who initially went down hard on Tewatia for his low run rate was forced to eat back its words and laud the heroic efforts of the RR batsman. Here’s how Twitter reacted.
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