Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Kumar Sangakkara believes that the remarkable rise of Indian players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel in international cricket has ignited Riyan Parag's hunger to succeed, as can be seen in the ongoing IPL 2024.
Ahead of Rajasthan Royals (RR)'s next IPL 2024 match against Delhi Capitals (DC) on March 28, Sangakkara revealed the reason behind promoting Parag in the batting order.
Sangakkara further said that he has entrusted Parag with the pivotal number four position in the RR team lineup for the ongoing IPL 2024, having witnessed his growth, dedication, and hard work. The Sri Lankan legend also revealed that it was a strategic decision to capitalize on Parag’s skills.
His debut at the new batting position was promising, as he delivered a blistering 43 off just 29 balls in the RR’s 20-run win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on March 24.
Kumar Sangakkara was quoted as saying by PTI: “We looked at how he performed over the years. It is a difficult thing for someone like Riyan who has an overall game to only get the toughest parts of the game, where he has to come in and up the run rate at the death.”
The RR head coach added, “We all felt he has a much more important role to play for us. The hard work he has done and runs he has scored leading up to the season played a part in that decision. Players have to repay the faith and he has made a great start and needs to keep reading the game the well and trusting himself on what he can do at number 4. He is good against pace and spin and that number is ideal for him.”
On the changes he has seen in Parag over the years, Sangakkara said: “The biggest change we have seen in him is his maturity and self-awareness. What your game is and how your lifestyle is on and off field. All of that has changed in Riyan. He is still a very young cricketer; he should not forget that. He has also seen the huge jump Jaiswal and now Jurel have made. He has got the hunger now and example to follow.”
Speaking about Jaiswal and Jurel's international showing for India, Sangakkara noted: “I dont think he (Jurel) exceeded expectations. Both of them are exceptional cricketers. Jurel is still doing the heavy lifting (for Royals). He showed in the England series value of preparation.”
Notably, RR’s both stars have worked hard at the Royals Academy in Maharashtra’s Talegaon under Zubin Bharucha and the head coach feels that hard work finally seems to be paying off.
He signed off by saying, “Sometimes good old fashioned hard work pays off. That is what they both (Jurel and Jaiswal) have done. It is just a start, they will have tough times in the future and they will have to readjust when teams have a good look at them. But they are definitely on the right track.”
(With PTI Inputs)
