The Mumbai Indians faced off against the Rajasthan Royals in a must-win match to qualify for the playoffs in the 2014 Indian Premier League season. The Royals set a target of 189/4 in 20 overs for Mumbai, but due to Net Run Rate calculations, Mumbai needed to chase down the target in just 14.3 overs to qualify. In the final over, Aditya Tare hit a monstrous six off the final ball, which helped Mumbai qualify, and Rahul Dravid, the head coach of Rajasthan Royals, had an unexpected outburst of emotions. Rahul Dravid(PTI)
Tare recently discussed this incident with Star Sports and revealed that Dravid threw his cap in disgust after Tare hit the six. It was a rare moment as Dravid was known for his calmness. Tare revealed some of his teammates told him later that Dravid was angry because of his shot.
“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’,” Tare recalled.
Tare also shared that before hitting the six, the Mumbai Indians thought they had a tie and had already accepted that they wouldn’t qualify. Suddenly they got news that they needed another ball to secure a playoff place, and they needed a boundary. Tare said that even though they really needed a four, he made his mind up to hit a six. Mumbai Indians qualified, but they lost in the eliminator match against the Chennai Super Kings in the playoffs.
Kolkata Knight Riders eventually lifted their second IPL title in 2014, beating Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the final.