Rajasthan Royals batsman Riyan Parag recently mentioned his focus on developing his ability to score on both sides of the wicket. He expressed confidence in his techniques to handle any delivery and bowler.
In the match against Delhi Capitals, Parag played one of his finest innings for the Royals since his IPL debut. Despite Rajasthan’s challenging position at 36/3 after 7.2 overs, the Assam-born cricketer showcased his skills, hitting seven fours and six sixes during his 45-ball unbeaten knock of 84*.
In an interview with the host broadcaster after his innings, the right-handed batsman expanded on his approach, stating:
“I always have my options ready on both sides of the wicket. That’s what I’ve been working on lately and I just back myself. I know I’ve got the power and the strength to dig out yorker balls or even hit sixes off the short balls.”
“So, I’m just backing myself and whenever it comes, I’m going to hit a boundary. Sometimes, it does work out and sometimes it doesn’t.”
The 22-year-old detailed his strategy against Anrich Nortje, indicating that he has dedicated significant time to practicing deliveries like those.
“I think it’s not about the bowler but the ball he is bowling and I practiced a lot of those balls and I could execute a few of them tonight.”
The young player was merciless against Nortje, smashing him for 25 runs in the 20th over, comprising three fours and two sixes.
“I had faith in my abilities that if I batted for a long time, I could score plenty of runs”- Riyan Parag
With the top three batsmen not making significant contributions, Parag mentioned that the management advised him to stay at the crease longer since the pitch was favourable for batting. He further stated:
“Sanga [Kumar Sangakkara, Royals’ head coach] came in and Sanju [Samson] bhaiyya [brother] came in and told to take it [the innings] deep.”
“I was confident in myself that if I did take it deep, I could get a lot of runs at the end. So someone coming in new… it isn’t that easy. For someone staying and knowing the wicket, it’s a little easier and I just backed myself.”
The score of 185 turned out to be sufficient as Rajasthan Royals’ versatile bowling lineup secured their second consecutive victory, winning by a margin of 12 runs.
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