Ahead of his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara said all-rounder Riyan Parag will get a longer run at number four, noting that he is more mature and hungrier is. following the rise of teammates Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel to national prominence with Team India. Riyan started his IPL 2024 campaign with a 29-ball 43 (with a four and three sixes) against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in his side’s campaign opener.
The youngster was promoted to number four after years of fighting the order. The blow could kick-start Riyan’s IPL season after years of being trolled for under-performing despite playing in largely unsuitable batting positions.
Last season, Parag scored 78 runs in seven innings. In IPL 2022, his numbers were 183 runs in 14 innings. In 2021, he made 93 runs in 10 innings. These figures look deeply disappointing when you also look at his domestic cricket figures for Assam, where he is showing a more all-round side to him as a batsman.
“It was a cricketing decision,” Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said of Parag’s promotion into the batting line-up, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. The Sri Lankan legend acknowledged how difficult it was for Parag to break the order and not be able to show what he is truly capable of.
“We have looked at how he has performed over the years. It is very difficult for someone like Riyan, who has a total game, to always see only the most difficult parts of the game, where he has to come in and get on the run .rate in the death overs.”
“We all felt that he has a much more important role that he can play for us. And the hard work he put in in the run-up to the season, all the runs he scored in domestic cricket, all played a part in that decision.” he concluded.
Sangakkara said Riyan will have to repay the faith and trust reposed in him and continue to work on his game.
“He is good against pace and again, so that important position of four was ideally suited to him.” he added.
During his 43-run knock against LSG, he had a 93-run stand with skipper Sanju Samson and only started attacking when he felt fully at the crease. This approach was in line with his playing style for Assam, for whom he has scored a lot of runs, especially in white-ball cricket.
In four matches of the Ranji Trophy 2023-2024, Parag made 378 runs in six innings at an average of 75.6, with two centuries and a fifty. His best score was 155.
Parag also took Assam to the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 competition and finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 510 runs at an average of 85, with seven half-centuries. He also took 11 wickets.
In the Deodhar Trophy, a 50-over tournament last year, Parag finished as the leading run-getter while playing for East Zone, taking his team to the final. In five matches and five innings, Parag made 354 runs at an average of 88.50, with a strike rate of over 136. He scored two centuries and a fifty. Most of his scores came under pressure and he found himself driving his team out of trouble after losing early wickets or going through a collapse. He earned the title of ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the competition.
Sangakkara said that Riyan’s maturity is noticeable and he has changed a lot in terms of self-awareness, knowing what is good for him and his lifestyle, etc.
“The biggest thing we have seen in Riyan is maturity. Regardless of the support we provide players, the self-awareness of your game, knowing what is good for you, what your lifestyle is like both on and off the field – all that has changed in Riyan said the cricket director.
“He is still a very, very young cricketer (only 22 years old). We cannot forget that. He has also been in the spotlight over the years as one of the faces of the franchise, of the younger brigade. He I have also seen the huge leaps that (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and (Dhruv) Jurel have made, and he now has an appetite for that and an example to follow in the national team.”
“We know players have different ambitions; – IPL is one of them. He understands his game better and taking on more responsibility has become non-negotiable for him,” concluded Sangakkara.
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