GT Vs RR Was The Best Game Of The Season So Far : Irfan Pathan

Rajasthan Royals moved to the top of the table in TATA IPL 2026 after their second consecutive win, beating Gujarat Titans in a thriller. Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’, JioStar experts Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Ravichandran Ashwin discussed the death-bowling masterclass from Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande, as well as Sai Sudharsan’s valiant effort for GT.

Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’, Irfan Pathan reckoned that the win and some key decisions at the end will give a lot of confidence to Riyan Parag as a Captain:

"This was the best game of the season so far. It was very important for Rajasthan that Riyan Parag commands that respect while leading the side. He made that difficult call in the last over, and that decision went in favour of Rajasthan, which will give him a lot of confidence as a leader. He went to Jofra Archer to bowl that 19th over, and generally, you go with your more experienced bowler in the penultimate over. Jofra used his experience, used his pace, and didn’t give any room to either Rabada or Rashid Khan, who were going strong. That over set it up nicely for Tushar Deshpande, because if GT had gotten 10 runs off it, the game would have been done then. It was a special over from Jofra. And credit to Tushar Deshpande, who held his nerve and bowled accurate yorkers, one after the other, to get his side home."

Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’, JioStar expert Harbhajan Singh heaped praise on Tushar Deshpande for delivering under pressure:

"The first four balls were absolutely accurate. The fifth one was the only delivery that was not of yorker length, and Rashid had the opportunity to hit a boundary, but it was a great catch from Jofra Archer. He ran a long distance, dived, and caught it at the right time. It wasn’t an easy catch, and if not for that effort, it could have been tight. I am really happy for Tushar Deshpande. He was given the responsibility of bowling the last over, ahead of someone like Nandre Burger. We were all surprised in the commentary box because he doesn’t have that international experience. But that is what he will gain from here, and that’s why this is the TATA Indian Premier League, our local boys getting the opportunity to do the tough job, and he lived up to the challenge. Defending just 15 runs in the last two overs isn’t easy, and any team would want to have bowlers like Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande, who deliver under pressure."

speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’, JioStar expert Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on Sai Sudharsan's knock for GT in Shubman Gill's absence:

"Sai Sudharsan knew that Shubman wasn’t playing today, so he had to do the heavy lifting himself. The way he started showed that he understands his strengths. He used pace well, guiding the ball towards third man, and then played some good cover drives on the front foot. He took on Jadeja immediately after he came into the attack, made use of the pace, and followed it up with a slog sweep. These are the strong areas for Sudharsan, which he relies on, and he got the results. He needs to play like this, carry the innings, but at a good tempo. And for the Gujarat Titans, missing Shubman Gill was a big setback. So obviously, when Shubman returns, this opening combination will be key for them going forward, yet again."