NEW DELHI: With 11 needed in the final over, Riyan Parag went all out against Gujarat Titans. Despite being left with one from Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma and even two from Ravindra Jadeja, Parag turned to Tushar Deshpande – and the move paid off. The bowler performed under pressure as Rajasthan Royals cruised to their second straight win, beating the Shubman Gill-led side by six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan believes the bold calls after the death will go a long way in boosting Parag’s confidence as a leader.Parag first bowled the 19th over to Jofra Archer before handing the last over to Deshpande.“It was the best match of the season so far. It was very important for Rajasthan that Riyan Parag commands respect when he leads the team,” Pathan said on JioStar.“He called the tough one in the last over and the decision went in Rajasthan’s favor which will give them a lot of confidence as leaders. He went for Jofra Archer to bowl the 19th over and generally you go with your more experienced bowler in the penultimate over.”Archer justified his move with a brilliant over, dropping just four runs and tightening the screws on Gujarat’s chase. Deshpande then held his nerve to defend 10 runs in the final over as Rajasthan Royals edged out Gujarat Titans by six runs.
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