Riyan Parag has impressed one and all with some swashbuckling batting displays in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
After years of underperforming down the order, which caused heavy trolling on social media, Parag has emerged as a completely different batter while playing at No. 4 this season.
In nine innings, the youngster has amassed 409 runs at an average of 58.42 and a strike rate of 159.84, including four half-centuries. His best score is 84*.
Prior to IPL 2024, Parag also performed brilliantly for Assam in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy.
Many fans and experts wanted him to get picked in India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad, but the Assam lad was overlooked by the selectors. However, Riyan Parag wasn’t disappointed by the snub.
Addressing a press conference after the SRH versus RR game on Thursday (May 2), Parag said: "Not really. Until last year, I was not even in contention to play in IPL right?"
"So I have heard a few rumours. I am not on social media anymore. I heard few noises here and there but I am just glad they are taking my name for the right reasons now. I was not really thinking about anything. I am really happy for the boys in our team, Sanju bhaiya specially, getting the call-up. It is going to be great for our country and hopefully we bring the World Cup home," he added.
RR suffered a narrow one-run defeat at the hands of SRH at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Chasing 202 to win, the Royals lost Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson for a duck in the very first over. However, the duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal (67 off 40) and Riyan Parag (77 off 49) added 134 runs for the third wicket to bring the visitors back in the contest.
After their dismissals in quick succession, Shimron Hetmyer (13 off 9) and Rovman Powell (27 off 15) produced crucial cameos but death bowling heroics from Pat Cummins and Bhuvneshwar Kumar restricted RR to 200/7.
Following the game, Parag conceded that he is not in his best form since he could not finish the game and has got a lot of areas to improve.
"I got a lot of areas to improve. I am not in my best form, I would have finished the game otherwise. I got a lot of areas to perfect. I try to learn from my mistakes and not repeat them. Is it my best innings? No. I would say that if I get a hundred," he stated.
Riyan Parag described the loss as "dramatic" while also adding that some small errors cost them the game.
"It is never good to end on the losing side. We did a lot of things right. We will focus on more rather than dwelling on our mistakes. We are in a good position in the points table. Just one bad game I guess. We made a few errors in two-three overs and it cost us the game. That is how T20 is, IPL is," he remarked.
Parag said he and Jaiswal didn’t throw away their wickets, instead, it was just an error in execution and some great bowling from SRH.
"I do not think any of us threw our wickets. Jaiswal played that scoop because Natrajan was bowling good slower bouncers, hence he predicted a yorker and went for it. I was trying to muscle it for six. Probably an error in execution. We would have liked to stay till the end," said Parag.
"Credit to how SRH bowled, how Bhuvneshwar and Cummins bowled, especially that 19th over by Cummins," he added.
(With ANI Inputs)
