Former India left‑arm pacer Irfan Pathan praised the Gujarat Titans for their confidence in West Indies all‑rounder Jason Holder, saying that his sharper six‑hitting skills and strong new‑ball bowling will serve the club well as they prepare for the 2026 season.
Holder has repeatedly appeared in the IPL, representing Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals. After a bidding war in Abu Dhabi, the Titans secured him for Rs 7 crore, outbidding Chennai Super Kings.
“Their bet on Jason Holder is interesting. He is an amazing bowler with the new ball, but his batting has improved, especially his six‑hitting abilities. GT has put a lot of faith in that. Their main strength is their top three batters: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharshan, and Jos Buttler.”
He continued, “How they use Washington Sundar will be important, as his batting has gotten better, too. The role of Glenn Phillips, or whoever plays at number four or five, will also be very big.”
The former openers of India, Abhinav Mukund, explained one reason behind the Titans’ preference for left‑arm pacers and all‑rounders such as Holder. “Gujarat Titans love fast bowlers, especially left‑arm pacers like Prithviraj Yarra and Luke Wood. Ashok Sharma had a great Syed Mushtaq Ali season.”
“But Jason Holder is there because they need someone to bat and finish innings at number six or seven, and bowl a couple of overs. They want someone to finish at the death. The team is so strong at the top that they felt they needed this. Last year, GT often did not play all four overseas players.**”
“So maybe if Glenn Phillips is fit, he plays in the middle order, and Jason Holder finishes. Overall, they still look like a brilliant side. They have the best young Indian talent. I don’t know who will control them on the bench. Good luck to Parthiv Patel and Ashish Nehra,” Mukund concluded.
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