Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan praised Rajasthan Royals (RR) match-winner Dhruv Jurel for his performance in the game against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday, April 4, at the Narendra Modi Stadium. RR posted 210/6, with Jurel top-scoring with 75 off 42 balls.
Pathan lauded Jurel for the way he accelerated his innings, highlighting that he is not afraid of pace. He noted that Jurel’s ability against fast bowlers makes him a special player and also commended his improved game against spin.
“The way Dhruv Jurel played his innings was impressive. In his half-century knock, he scored 25 runs off the first 20 balls. After that, the way he increased his strike rate was excellent, and by the time he finished around 7075 runs, his strike rate was outstanding, around 175,” said Pathan on his YouTube channel.
“He played spin very well, even stepping out to hit a big shot against Rashid Khan. The way he plays fast bowlers on the leg side makes you realize that he is a special player. He is not afraid of pace. So, for a player batting at number three, who might seem like he could struggle against spin, he is actually improving his ability against it. Overall, Rajasthan is shaping up to be a very strong team,” he added.
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The all-rounder also praised Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who scored 31 off 18 balls, for the way he handled Kagiso Rabada. He pointed out that the left-handed batter combines both control and aggression in his game and understands when to respect a bowler.
“Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 31 off 18 balls. He hit some great boundaries, especially that shot over point, which was his best. But the most impressive part was how he handled Rabada in the second over. Only seven runs came in that over. I thought he might go hard and risk getting out because Rabada had a very good plan, angling the ball away and keeping it wide, but Suryavanshi played him very carefully. This showed that he has both gears. If he needs to respect a bowler, he can do that, and when he needs to attack, he has that ability as well,” said Pathan.
