Riyan Parag, the 22-year-old all-rounder from Assam, has captured attention in IPL 2024 with remarkable evolution and stellar performances for the Rajasthan Royals or RR. His consecutive match-winning knocks have marked a significant turning point in his career, displaying newfound maturity and prowess on the cricket field.
Impressed by his performance, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, “Well played Riyan! Your superb knock helped the team win this match. Your home ground in Guwahati awaits your performance later this season.”
Parag’s dynamic displays included a contribution to 93-run partnership alongside Sanju Samson in Rajasthan’s opening game against Lucknow, followed by a superb 84 off 45 balls, including 25 runs in the final over bowled by Delhi’s express pacer Anrich Nortje. He helped RR recover from 36 for 3 to post 185 on the board in 20 over on a hard pitch for the batters.
Parag, long hailed for his talent but criticised for inconsistency, has finally delivered on his promise. Rajasthan positioned Riyan to bat at No. 4 and this move brought incredible success in the 2023-24 domestic seasons for Home State Assam. Riyan Parag played his IPL debut in 2019 when he was 17 and continued playing as many as 55 matches for the franchise but it lacked remarkable show his talent.
World No. 1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav praised Riyan Parag for being “completely focused on his recovery” and maintaining “great discipline” while “working on his skills”. Suryakumar continued, “And I was not wrong to tell that to one of the coaches there – He is a Changed Guy – RIYAN PARAG 2.0. Watch Out!”
Riyan Parag appears to be a magically different player as is composed, calm and more mature in terms of his batting and the way he has been sharing his thoughts in IPL 2024.
In fact, former Rajasthan batter Robin Uthappa said, “It is good to see Riyan Parag doing well in the first match (of IPL 2024)… This time he is finally letting his bat talk.”
Despite battling flu before his standout performance against Delhi, Parag improved his fitness level and with his determination played an awe-inspiring match on Thursday. His dedication, supported by Rajasthan IPL franchise High Performance director Zubin Barucha, other stuff and his father Parag Das, has been instrumental in his success.
After playing domestic tournaments, Riyan Parag realised he “need to practice a lot. Cricket is all about muscle memory” so he attempt “to be more repetitive in practice and try to implement that in game situation”.
World Cup-winning former England captain Eoin Morgan, heaping rich praise on Rajasthan for supporting Riyan, felt “even though he has made mistakes over the years, he is proving that he is learning from those” despite still being “a very young man in cricketing terms”.
Rajasthan Royal head coach Sangakkara reminded, “He is still a very, very young cricketer. We shouldn’t forget that. He’s also been hugely in the focus over the years as one of the faces of the franchise, of the younger brigade. He’s also seen the huge jumps that Jaiswal and Jurel have made, and he’s got a hunger there now and an example to follow into the national team.”
Seeing Riyan repaying the faith, Sanju Samson remarked, “Riyan has been a big name for the last three to four years. Each and everyone, everywhere I go, in Kerala, they ask me (about Riyan Parag)… But, this is just the beginning. He has to keep his head down and focus on each and every game. I think he really has a lot to give to Indian cricket.”
As Parag continues to impress, the possibility of representing Bharat seems to be closer. With momentum on his side and the backing of his team, he stands poised for a bright future in Indian cricket, marking the emergence of Riyan Parag 2.0 as a true cricketing force.
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