RR’s Riyan Parag attributes his match-winning unbeaten 84 in win over DC to rigorous training routine earlier, where he faced sidearm bowlers from 20 yards for hours at end
Riyan Parag during his unbeaten 84 v DC in Jaipur on Thursday. PIC/PTI
It was the Riyan Parag show which enthralled everyone in Jaipur, as the all-rounder continued his recent good run by hitting an unbeaten 84 off just 45 balls to play a pivotal role in Rajasthan Royals beating Delhi Capitals by 12 runs on Thursday. On a pitch which initially aided seam movement at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Parag was slow to begin, making just 26 runs off the first 26 balls. But he flicked a switch post Ravichandran Ashwin’s cameo of 29 to make 58 runs in his next 19 balls.
Parag hit seven fours and six sixes, connecting very well with the deliveries to send them over the boundary ropes constantly, including smashing Anrich Nortje for 25 runs in the final over, laced with three fours and two sixes, to make his best-ever IPL score in a brilliant match-winning effort.
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Parag put his unbeaten 84 down to being focused on one ball at a time and believing in his practice under Zubin Bharucha, RR’s Director of High Performance. “When I was practising in Nagpur with Zubin sir, we faced sidearm bowlers who bowled at over 150kph daily. Practising with them from 20 yards instead of 22 yards, pulling the ball, and digging out yorkers was routine. Playing there for four to five hours over five to six days, I think I developed muscle memory. In the match, it didn’t feel like Anrich Nortje or Khaleel Ahmed is bowling. I focused on the ball, believed in my practice, and that helped my execution,” he told Jio Cinema.
In the run-up to the match against DC, after making a vital 43 against Lucknow Super Giants, Parag was down with a bout of flu, and revealed after the game that he took a lot of painkillers to be fit enough to play for RR.
In the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Parag emerged as the leading run-getter with 510 runs in 10 innings at an average of 85 and strike rate of nearly 183, including hitting seven consecutive half-centuries for his state team, Assam. “During the Ranji Trophy, I had found out from the leadership group that Devdutt Padikkal would be traded for Avesh Khan and that I would be batting at No. 4. I enjoy it. As today’s situation played out, it didn’t feel unfamiliar to me,” he added.
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