'In his hands, the ball almost disappears' - Ashwin explains rationale behind controversial Jason Holder catch during GT vs RCB

Jason Holder's catch during the Gujarat Titans versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Match 42 of IPL 2026, caused a major debate in the cricket fraternity, with several experts and fans giving mixed reactions to the fairness of the take that accounted for the fall of RCB skipper Rajat Patidar at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Thursday, April 30. Former cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has also joined the debate.

Ashwin believes that the catch taken by Holder at the deep square leg region was completely fair and that the West Indies international did not brush the ball on the ground. The former cricketer explained his stance by saying that the palms of Holder are very big and the ball usually tends to disappear due to that. Ashwin is fully with the umpire's call and said that Holder wrapped the ball around, wrapping it with his fingers underneath.

“Jason Holder's hands is twice as big as mine. In his hands, the ball almost disappears. So, even if you guys can see the ball through the gap in his fingers, that does not mean that the ball has hit the floor. He has probably wrapped it around. The ball, perhaps, did not touch the ground,” Ashwin explained in a video on his YouTube channel.

“If you are on the RCB side, you might feel that he is unlucky. If you look at it from the GT side, it is a clean out. But if you are viewing it as a neutral, it is a completely fair catch,” the veteran India cricketer added.

Watch Jason Holder's catch during GT vs RCB here

Notably, the Caribbean cricketer narrowly avoided a collision with his teammate Kagiso Rabada in an attempt to complete the catch. While the two did not engage in a tug, Holder explained that he was fully committed to completing the take, with his eyes on the ball all the time. The experienced all-rounder explained that he was cautious enough to not bump into Rabada and hold onto the ball at the same time.

"Yeah, I did see him. I was just hoping that I didn’t run into him. I don’t know what would have happened if two big men had clashed. He was in my peripheral vision, but I felt he was far enough for me to go for the catch. My main focus was just to commit, make the attempt, and hold on to it," Holder said during the post-match press conference.