Going into the game against Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans's star bowling allrounder Rashid Khan hadn't made headlines either with his leg-spin or his big-hitting skills. But the story changed in Jaipur on Wednesday as the Afganistan icon took Gujarat to victory with a boundary off the final ball of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match.
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And the Afghanistan icon made it a point to gesture to his critics 'I belong here' after hitting the winning runs. He also bowled an impressive spell of one wicket for just 18 runs in his four overs.
Chasing Rajasthan's 196/3, Gujarat needed 15 off the final over bowled by their in-form death-overs bowler Avesh Khan, with Rashid and Rahul Tewatia at the crease for the home team.
Rashid smashed two fours in the first three balls to make it seven needed off three balls. A single off the next delivery brought Tewatia on strike, but he was run-out while the duo attempted to steal a third run.
It left Gujarat requiring two runs off the last ball, and Rashid produced a blistering cut shot that rocketed to the point fence for four to signal visitors' victory.
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Rashid celebrated the victory by pointing first towards himself and then the pitch to tell his critics that he belonged to this stage.
Credit for Gujarat's win also goes to their skipper Shubman Gill, who kept his team in the run-chase with his 72 off 44 balls while wickets fell around him, after which Rashid and Tewatia took over.
