BENGALURU: Towering power-hitter
Tim David had a watershed 2025. He began the year by clinching the Big Bash League title with the Hobart Hurricanes before moving to India to be part of RCB’s maiden IPL triumph. Then, in Australia colours, he smashed a 37-ball century against the West Indies in Basseterre, the fastest T20I hundred by an Australian.
Now in his sixth IPL season, the 30-year-old is thriving in his role as a middle-order batter and finisher for RCB. Decoding his role for the defending champions, David highlighted the importance of the top order featuring Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and
Rajat Patidar.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“As a middle-overs batter, you have to solve problems. We’re lucky we have a brilliant top order. They are very consistent. Often, I’m just adding the finishing touches. With players like Jitesh (Sharma) and Romario (Shepherd), the pressure is shared,” said David. Having represented over a dozen franchises, David also spoke about managing expectations.
“As a middle-order batter in T20 cricket, you can’t come good every game. If you expect that, it becomes really difficult. My role is to get us to the best possible score. Sometimes you have to work with the bowlers when you’re batting lower down. A massive part of the IPL is not putting extra pressure on yourself or judging yourself too harshly when things don’t come off,” he said.
This season’s six-hitting charts have been dominated by young Indians. Abhishek Sharma leads with 27, followed by Patidar (22), Priyansh Arya and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (20 sizes each), while Cooper Connolly rounds out the top five with 14. “The depth of the domestic talent in India has improved. You see players coming into the IPL ready to hit sixes,” he said. On his own such abilities, David added, “Being big helps with being able to hit sixes. It also means I use heavy bats and bowlers have more areas to land their balls against me.”
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Manuja Veerappa, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, h...
Read MoreManuja Veerappa, Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, has dedicated over half of her 22-year journalism career to the publication. Specializing in
cricket and hockey, she has covered major sporting events including World Cups, the Commonwealth Games, and world championships in billiards and snooker.
Known for her compelling human-interest stories, she has traveled extensively across Karnataka to spotlight untold talent and their journeys. An internationally
published sportswriter and former national-level hockey player for Karnataka, Manuja is a true-blue Bengalurean who also writes on the city’s culture and life, blending deep reporting with a passion for storytelling.
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