Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has lauded young Assam all-rounder Riyan Parag for his stunning knock on Thursday, March 28. Rajasthan Royals (RR) took on Delhi Capitals (DC) in the teams’ second game of IPL 2024 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Sent in to bat first by DC skipper Rishabh Pant, RR lost their first three wickets within 10 overs. Parag came in at No. 4, which is his new position for RR this term.
He smashed an unbeaten 84 off 45 balls to help RR post 185 runs on the board. After trudging on 26 off 26 balls, Riyan Parag absolutely obliterated the DC bowlers at the end, with his last 19 balls accounting for 58 runs.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra assessed the game between the Royals and the Capitals, and reserved special praise for Riyan Parag, who produced a ‘coming of age’ innings.
“The Rajasthan Royals defeated the Delhi Capitals. Riyan Parag has the fire within him. He didn’t do the Bihu dance but made the opposition bowlers dance. The home domination is continuing – nine consecutive matches," Akash Chopra said.
“My first performer is Riyan Parag. He was sent to bat at No. 4. So it’s not only a win for him but also for the Rajasthan franchise. It’s a win for domestic cricket as well because this player was consistently scoring runs for Assam. He single-handedly took the team to the Syed Mushtaq Ali semi-finals," the former India cricketer added.
Aakash Chopra also commented on how the relentless backing from the RR coaching and support staff is finally starting to pay dividends.
“He comes with that belief into every season. The Rajasthan team said – ‘We believe in you, we have so much confidence in you that we will always keep you with us. In fact, we will go a step further and bat you at No. 4’. Uncapped Indian players don’t get that position that easily. This team has invested a lot in this player and he is giving the dividends now," he said.
“Rajasthan were 36/3 at one stage. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson had all gotten out. Only 58 runs were scored in the first 10 overs, that too because (Ravichandran) Ashwin hit a six. However, to reach 185 from there and to hit Anrich Nortje for 25 runs in the last over, well done. Riyan Parag’s fire was enjoyable to watch," Akash Chopra added.
Riyan Parag made his IPL debut in 2019 as a 17-year-old, becoming one of the youngest players to play in the league. He showed glimpses of his immense potential during the last five years, but yesterday’s knock was, simply put, something else. Parag achieved his IPL career-best score, and RR will be hoping that this is only the start of something much, much bigger.
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