The Australian batter is the definition of 'less is more' phrase in T20 cricket
Since the Gujarat Titans made their debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2022, Rahul Tewatia has played all of their games – all 50 of them. But across four seasons, the left-hander has only faced 335 balls and scored 498 runs and bowled just seven overs in total.
To compare that to an opener like Shubman Gill who has also played all GT games since their debut season, has faced 1,319 balls for his 1,947 runs.
Its role of a finisher that has batters padded up and waiting for a long time in the dug-out to see if their chance ever comes. If it ever comes, then its big risks from the first ball and squeeze as many runs as possible.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batter Tim David is one among them, who has played third most T20 matches in the entire world in the last five years – 247 around the world for more than 10 teams – and has faced just 10 on average.
In the IPL 2025, he has faced just 24 balls and scored 55 runs at a strike rate of 204. In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, the Aussie batter spoke about the strangeness and the pros of his role.
“In most games I play in, I watch the first ten overs from the changing rooms, then five overs from the dugout,” David said.
“I’ve got to get a lot of volume in (training). I don’t expect to get that in games, and you’ve got to be ready to take risks straightaway. I love it. Training is so much fun: I get to go and hang out with my mates and have a hit for way too long,” he added.
David revealed how that ‘Less Is More’ role makes him travel around the world due to the high demand in the T20 leagues. The demand has reached its saturation for the Singapore-born batter than he is now turning down offers.
“I’m playing ten months of the year, and I have to book tournaments off. When you’ve been on the road for three or four months, away from home comforts, you need to have a rest and refresh for the next one. I feel like I’m in a good space at the moment. I’ve improved so much. I’m a vastly better player now than I was when I first started,” David said.
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After being part of the Mumbai Indians’ set-up for three seasons, he is back to RCB as they have begun the season well with three wins from four matches. Speaking about the experience of playing ace finishers like Kieron Pollard and Dinesh Karthik in the IPL, David said,
“But they can’t just tell you things and then you automatically do it. You have to go through it, own the mistakes yourself and come out the other side.”
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