After receiving consistent support from the team management over the years, this season has been an opportunity for Riyan Parag to reciprocate that faith by maintaining his impressive performance in IPL 2024.
His success in the tournament can be attributed to simplifying his approach and replicating the strategies that have served him well in domestic cricket.
“Nothing, to be honest,” Parag told the broadcasters when asked what differently he has done this season.
“Actually I have simplified everything instead of trying to do a lot of things. Before when I was not getting runs, I would think about it too much, try and do different stuff altogether, and then it would not work out. This year the goal was to keep it simple – watch the ball and hit the ball.”
On a Wankhede pitch favouring the bowlers, Rajasthan Royals faced an early setback when Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed early in the chase. Subsequently, Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler fell quickly, leaving the team at 48/3 while chasing a modest target of 126.
Despite the manageable target, there was an opportunity for MI to capitalize on, but Parag nullified that with his composed innings of an unbeaten 54 runs from 39 deliveries, comprising five boundaries and three sixes.
“I have said it before, when I play domestic (cricket) this is the exact type of situation I go in to bat. When Jos [Buttler] bhai got out, and Ash [R Ashwin] bhai got out a little after, I was like, ‘okay, this is what I do.”
”This is what I’ve been doing for the last six months playing domestic cricket’. So it was pretty simple to calculate everything,” he said.
Riyan Parag ended with an undefeated 54 against MI
Parag made his IPL debut in 2019, showing promise by scoring 160 runs in five innings at an average of 32 in his inaugural season. However, subsequent editions proved challenging for him, as he surpassed the 100-run mark only once in four seasons, with averages below 20 each time.
However, he has now found his form this season. With 181 runs in three innings, including two half-centuries, Parag currently holds the Orange Cap.
This exceptional form mirrors his outstanding performances in domestic cricket, where he amassed 510 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at an average of 85 and a strike rate of 182.79, followed by 378 runs in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 75.60.
Across 16 innings in both formats combined, he scored two centuries and eight half-centuries. Speaking about what led to this transformation in the IPL, Parag said:
“I’ve had three-four years of not performing at all, or even performing if it’s one match a season. You really go back to the hotel room and think to yourself that when you know you can do something and it’s not coming, the performances are not coming, you get back to the drawing board.”
“I tried finding what was wrong and I figured out that I was not practising at this level enough. So I went back after the (2023) season and practised very hard. And I think that’s showing now. I practised these types of balls, these types of scenarios a lot. Hence the performances.”
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