KOCHI: Rahul Tewatia was an in-demand cricketer during the Indian Premier League mega auction last month with teams entering into a fierce bidding war for the 28-year-old.
The all-rounder was eventually bagged by the new IPL franchise Gujarat Titans for a hefty price of Rs 9 crore as they fought off interest from Chennai Super Kings.
The fact that Tewatia's base price was just Rs 40 lakh is an indication of just how highly the former Rajasthan Royals player was sought after. Tewatia says that he does not feel the pressure of the price tag as it is just an indication that teams have faith in his abilities.
"My point of view is that, what is the point of taking pressure about these things? The team is showing belief in you and that is why they are ready to spend that kind of money on you. I don't feel the pressure and it is just a case of trying to repay their faith. I just want to fulfill the role for which I was taken in the team and just work hard," said Tewatia during a media interaction on Tuesday.
The fight to sign Tewatia points to the importance that teams place on all-rounders and the Haryana cricketer knows that he will have a crucial role to play for the new franchise. "For every team, the role of an all-rounder is very crucial. Those who bat between six to eight in the order, their role is really important. Because you get very little time to make an impact which can decide matches. So it is a really important role to fulfill in the team and perform according to the situation," he said.
Tewatia's most memorable knock in the IPL was the one for the Royals in Sharjah against Kings XI Punjab. The left-hander had smashed Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over to steer his team to victory from the jaws of defeat.
Tewatia hopes to produce such moments for Titans as the franchise is looking to make a mark in their maiden appearance in the T20 event.
"Even though it is a new franchise, the players who make up the team have played a lot of IPL cricket so the team should make a good impression and hopefully do well," said the leg spinner.
Hardik Pandya will be leading the Gujarat outfit and there is a lot of curiosity on how the former Mumbai Indians star would fare in a captaincy role.
"Hardik has plenty of experience in the IPL and has played a lot of cricket for India as well. He has also played under many successful captains like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and he will take lessons from that and bring his own inputs into the role. He should do well given the amount of cricket and experience he has under his belt," he added.