Mumbai pacer Tushar Deshpande hailed sharing the dressing room with Rohit Sharma as a valuable experience, learning from his calmness. Retained by RR for IPL 2026, he reflected on his strong comeback season after surgery.
Learning from a Legend
Mumbai's speedster Tushar Deshpande described sharing the dressing room with Indian legend Rohit Sharma in domestic cricket as a valuable experience, noting he learned from Sharma's approach, calmness, and handling of pressure, and has tried to apply these lessons in his own game. Deshpande played along with Sharma in domestic cricket in December 2025 for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Sharma featured in the opening matches against Sikkim and Uttarakhand. Deshpande is set to play for the RR in the IPL 2026 season. He was retained by the Royals for the 2026 season, following his performance with them last season. "Sharing dressing room with Rohit Sharma in domestic cricket: It was a great experience. Being around him, you pick up a lot just by observing - his approach, his calmness, and how he handles pressure. I've tried to take those learnings and apply them in my own way," Deshpande told ANI.
Reflecting on a Strong Domestic Season
Deshpande reflected on his 2025/26 domestic season, expressing satisfaction with returning strongly after surgery and maintaining consistency. He highlighted finishing the season well, bowling above 140 km/h, and emphasised learning the importance of discipline, executing plans in key moments, and continuing to build fitness. "I'm grateful for the season I had. Coming back after surgery, it was important for me to stay consistent and get through the full season, which I'm happy I could do. Finishing the season strongly and still bowling above 140 in the quarter-final was a positive for me. At the same time, I've learnt the importance of discipline in all phases, and I'm working on executing my plans better in key moments while continuing to build my fitness," he noted.
Deshpande had a decent outing for Mumbai in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy. He scalped 25 wickets in eight fixtures, at an average of 25.76 with best figures of 4/33.
IPL Career and Performance
Deshpande was retained by the Royals for the 2026 season, following his performance with them last season. Last season, Deshpande featured in 10 fixtures for RR, scalping 9 wickets at an average of 37.78, with best figures of 3/44.
Overall, Deshpande has played 46 matches in IPL, grabbing 51 wickets, averaging at 31.04.
Deshpande has featured for three IPL franchises during his career, first with Delhi Capitals (2020-2021), then with five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (2022-2024), and Rajasthan Royals (2025-present). Deshpande's standout IPL season came in 2023. Leading CSK's pace attack, Deshpande claimed 21 wickets in 16 matches, finishing as the team's highest wicket-taker in their title-winning campaign. (ANI)
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