The 2014 Indian Premier League (IPL) had seen a dramatic finish to a game between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a virtual knock-out; the winner would’ve progressed to the playoffs of the season. Batting first, the Royals put out a strong score of 189/4 in 20 overs but the MI was required to chase down the target in merely 14.3 overs due to Net Run Rate calculations.
And even though the side took an extra delivery to chase down the total, MI qualified thanks to Aditya Tare’s monstrous six off the final ball. The boundary took MI’s score to 195/3, and since the final score – and not the target – is taken into consideration for NRR calculation, the Mumbai Indians reached the playoffs. In addition to its enormous significance, Tare’s six is also remembered for provoking a shocking reaction from Rahul Dravid, who was then the head coach of RR.
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Usually, Dravid has been known for being the calmest in the dressing room, and in that game, he couldn’t hide his emotions, as he stood up and threw his cap away in utter disgust after Tare’s six. Dravid, did, however, regain his senses and picked the cap up straightaway. Nearly nine years later, Aditya Tare remembered the memorable six that steered MI to playoffs and talked about the reaction from Dravid.
Recalling the day during a chat on Star Sports, Aditya Tare said, “I didn’t see that at the time (Dravid’s angry reaction), but I’ve heard it from everyone,’ we saw Rahul Dravid getting angry because of you’. Before that delivery, they thought they had qualified, because the scores were tied. Their dugout seemed pretty happy.”
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He further added, “But then we got the news that we have another ball to secure a playoff berth, only if we get boundary. First we thought we hit a six, but then, we realised we needed a four. But by then, I already had made my mind up to hit a six.”
However, MI failed to win the trophy as they suffered a loss against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the eliminator match. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) eventually lifted their second title in 2014, beating Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the final.
