The world witnessed Tushar Deshpande displaying incredible composure in the final moments as the Rajasthan Royals pacer skillfully defended 11 runs in the last over against the Gujarat Titans, securing his team's second consecutive victory in Match 9 of IPL 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
While Deshpande's performance was outstanding, former RR player Ravichandran Ashwin praised skipper Riyan Parag for placing his trust in the pacer.
Ashwin expressed his disbelief over how the hosts managed to lose the match after being in such a strong position during the early stages of the run chase. He had anticipated that Riyan would hand the final over to Nandre Burger, who seemed to be in great form, but later commended the Assam-born captain for the bold choice of sticking with Deshpande.
"I don't understand how GT lost this game. They were winning, and then they made a comeback, and they still lost. It is not easy to execute five yorkers with only 11 to defend in the final over, especially after you bowled a wide off the first ball. Riyan Parag did not give the final over to Nandre Burger. All of us were confident that Nandre Burger would bowl the final overThe trust Riyan Parag had in Tushar Deshpande was a big risk. If Tushar had not delivered like this, it would have been a very difficult question to answer for Riyan Parag," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin Applauds Dhruv Jurel’s Calm Knock
As RR batted first, they got off to a fantastic start, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi laying a solid foundation for a big score. However, things took a turn as wickets began to tumble rapidly. But Dhruv Jurel stepped up, unleashing a powerful 75 off just 42 balls, bringing the team total to 210-6 in 20 overs. Ashwin believes that Jurel's innings was the game-changer.
After a couple of back-to-back wins, RR is now set to face the Mumbai Indians at the ACA Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati for Match 13 of this prestigious T20 tournament on Tuesday, April 07. Riyan and his team will be eager to secure a hat-trick of wins in IPL 2026 by overcoming the five-time champions in their upcoming home game.