Rajasthan Royals’ decision to promote Riyan Parag to the No. 4 batting position in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Lucknow Super Giants has paid off handsomely. Parag’s blistering 29-ball 43 was instrumental in the Royals’ victory, and it has also raised questions about why he was not given this opportunity earlier.
Royals coach Kumar Sangakkara explained that the team had been considering this move for some time, based on Parag’s impressive performances in domestic cricket. “We looked at how Riyan performed over the years,” Sangakkara said. “It is a difficult thing for someone like Riyan who has an overall game to only get the toughest parts of the game, where he has to come in and up the run rate at the death.”
Parag’s promotion to No. 4 allowed him to play with more freedom and express his natural attacking instincts. He hit four boundaries and two sixes in his innings, and his strike rate of 148.28 was the highest among all Royals batsmen.
Sangakkara praised Parag’s versatility and his ability to play against both pace and spin. “He is good against pace and spin, and that number is ideal for him,” Sangakkara said. “And Riyan is off to a great start.”
Parag’s performance has also given the Royals a much-needed boost in the batting department. The team has struggled to score runs consistently this season, but Parag’s innings has shown that they have the potential to be a dangerous batting unit.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals director of cricket Sourav Ganguly admitted that his team needs to improve its batting. “With Rishabh Pant back, the batting is stronger,” Ganguly said. “If we bat well, we will win a lot of matches because we have the bowling.”
The Capitals have won just one of their first three matches this season, and they will be looking to turn things around when they face the Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday.
