The Rajasthan Royals would be pleased with Riyan Parag’s form despite suffering their fourth straight defeat; he showed maturity and poise by scoring a crucial 48 runs off 34 balls. RR’s innings against the Punjab Kings in Match 65 of the 2024 Indian Premier League helped revitalise the team’s batting effort, making a substantial contribution to the team’s score of 144/9.
It’s interesting to note that in his five IPL seasons, Riyan Parag had never scored 200 runs in a single campaign. But he scored more than 500 runs in his innings against PBKS, surpassing captain Sanju Samson to become his team’s top run scorer for the time being.
During the post-match press conference, Shane Bond, a former Kiwi cricketer who is currently RR’s assistant coach and fast-bowling instructor, commended Riyan’s ability and expressed his delight and happiness with his efforts. Shane Bond recognised the ongoing criticism that Riyan had endured in recent years and gave him credit for making the adjustment to the No. 4 spot this season, even though in previous seasons he had mostly played in the middle and lower middle order.
He has performed admirably for us this season and just lets it be known that he is a top-notch player. I’m quite happy for him and impressed with the way he’s performed thus far. I believe the team is ecstatic about him. “To put that aside and come out the way he’s played this season at the number four spot, real credit to him for the work he’s put in,” Bond said in the post-match conference following the PBKS-RR game. “He’s borne the brunt of some criticism over the last few years in terms of performances.”
It simply need time while you’re young: Shane Bond in Riyan Parag
Bond went on to highlight Riyan’s incredible season thus far. At the tender age of seventeen, Riyan began his career with RR and spent a considerable amount of time in the lower middle-order, where it is very difficult to get the eye in and make adjustments in the short amount of time before teeing off. Bond emphasised Riyan’s excellent performance this season and recounted his development from a youthful recruit to a crucial component of the RR system.
In spite of the difficulties associated with batting in the bottom middle order, Riyan has proven this season that he can perform well under duress. Bond lauded his recent domestic cricket matches, especially in the 20-over format, and made reference to his incredible Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 performance in which he amassed 510 runs in just 10 innings.
Also Read: “Sanju Samson Acknowledges Team Failures”
“It’s true that Ryan has had an incredible season! It has truly worked out for him to be promoted to No. 4. People tend to forget how young he is because he spent a lot of years batting in a position that was really difficult lower on the order. It simply requires time while you’re young. clearly observed how well he performed in domestic cricket, especially this season in the Twenty20s,” said Bond.
India
