JAIPUR: When
Riyan Parag
raised his bat to celebrate his half-century after hitting a six off Delhi Capitals pacer
Mukesh Kumar
, it marked a moment of great personal triumph for the young batter.
Having struggled for the last couple of seasons despite dominating the domestic circuit,
Riyan
had a point to prove to those who were questioning his place in the Rajasthan Royals playing XI.
The 22-year-old had a forgettable last season as he managed to score just 78 runs (7, 20, 7, 5, 15*, 4, 20) in seven matches batting in the lower middle order. However, Riyan seems to be on a mission this year. He launched the 2024 IPL by slamming a crucial 43 runs during Royals' 20-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants in the first outing on March 24.
The No. 4 batter continued from where he had left last Sunday with an unbeaten 84 which helped RR to snatch a narrow 12-run win over Delhi. Interestingly, Riyan, the man of the match, almost missed the fixture because of an upset stomach. He was on a high dose of antibiotics and severe dehydration and fever made him an unsure starter.
He could hardly connect the ball during training on match eve and was cramping. "I've had to work very hard. For the last three days, I was in bed, sick. I just got up with painkillers and could manage today. I'm happy for myself," said Riyan at the post-match presentation.
Unlike the opening outing where he consolidated the solid start in the company of
Sanju Samson
, against DC, Riyan had to steady a rocking ship. Coming into bat with RR 30/2 in the sixth over, Riyan was kept quiet by DC bowlers early on in his innings. At one point, Riyan was on a run-a-ball 26.
The fact that RR ended up reaching the strong total of 185/5 - after struggling to 36/3 in eight overs - was only because Riyan changed gears in the death overs. An unbeaten 45-ball 84 not only justified his promotion to the all-important No. 4 slot but also gave the Assam youngster's career a strong boost.
"I know what my opinion is about myself. That does not change regardless of whether I get a zero or not. That's a lot to do with the type of season as well. I had a great domestic season and that helped. Someone in the top four must play the 20 overs. The wicket was keeping low and stopping. In the first game Sanju bhaiya (Samson) did it," he said.
Avesh Khan
also praised the match-winning knock from Riyan. "It was a very important innings for us. The pitch was two-paced. Riyan hung in there and gave the innings a perfect finish," he said.
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