Narendra Modi Stadium: Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara praised Kagiso Rabada for his smart tactical adjustment against Abhishek Sharma, calling it 'high-quality bowling' after the Gujarat Titans’ (GT) commanding 82-run win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Rabada once again starred with the ball for the Gujarat Titans, finishing with figures of 3/28 in four overs as SRH were bowled out for just 86 while chasing 168. The South African pacer now has 21 wickets in IPL 2026 and continues to play a key role in GT’s rise to the top of the points table.
“Abhishek Sharma tried to create room on that delivery where he got dismissed, which batters often do when the ball is quick and bouncing. But credit to Kagiso Rabada. He read Abhishek’s movement,” Pujara told Jio Hotstar.
“Originally, Rabada was bowling outside the fourth stump line. When Abhishek shuffled across early, Rabada adjusted his line. He followed the batter and cramped him for room. The result was an inside edge onto the stumps. That was high-quality bowling,” he added.
Rabada struck after Mohammed Siraj had already provided the ideal start by dismissing Travis Head for a duck in the opening over. The fast bowler then removed both Abhishek and Ishan Kishan to leave Hyderabad in deep trouble inside the powerplay.
Pujara also pointed out how the Ahmedabad surface assisted the fast bowlers with additional bounce and pace.
“The ball also hit Abhishek’s glove before taking the inside edge of his bat, which shows the ball bounced more than expected. There was a bit of extra zip off the wicket as well,” Pujara said.
Pujara also pointed out how the Ahmedabad surface assisted the fast bowlers with additional bounce and pace.
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Earlier, composed half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (61) and Washington Sundar (50) guided the Gujarat Titans to 168/5 in 20 overs, a total which proved to be too much for the visitors on a tough wicket.