Irfan Pathan praised Riyan Parag for his leadership during Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) thrilling win over Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The match turned out to be one of the most exciting contests of the season, with Parag’s bold decisions in the final overs playing a crucial role in the result.
Leading Rajasthan Royals this season, Riyan Parag showed strong decision-making under pressure. In the final stages of the game, he made a brave call by giving Jofra Archer the 19th over while trusting Tushar Deshpande to bowl the last over. This move proved to be a game-changer as Rajasthan managed to defend a tight total and secure a narrow six-run victory.
“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,” Pathan said on JioStar.
“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.”
Credit To Jofra And Tushar
Archer delivered an excellent over, conceding just four runs and putting pressure on Gujarat’s batters, including Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan, who were looking dangerous at that stage. His performance set the perfect platform for the final 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.”
Deshpande then kept his calm under pressure and executed his plans well, bowling accurate yorkers to seal the win.
“And credit to Tushar Deshpande, who held his nerve and bowled accurate yorkers, one after the other, to get his side home,” Pathan added.
(With inputs from Agencies)
