Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag (ANI Photo) Riyan Parag played when it mattered most and played a stunning 90 against Delhi Capitals to silence the critics, with Ravichandran Ashwin leading the praise for the Rajasthan Royals skipper.Ashwin, in an interview with X, wrote, “Agree or not, Riyan Parag is a special player. He’s letting his bat do the talking today.”
Ashwin’s post
Parag, who have struggled for form this season, came under intense pressure. Before this game, he had scored just 117 runs, with a highest of 29, at an average of 14.63 at a strike rate of 124.47.
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Vikram Solanki on GT strategy, pitch and team decisionsControversy off the field only added to the scrutiny. Parag was caught on camera allegedly vaping in the dressing room during a match against Punjab Kings, with the clip going viral. He was later fined 25 percent of his match fee and given a point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL Code of Conduct.With the early dismissals of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, RR were reduced to 12 for 2 and Parag entered the team under immediate pressure. His start was scratchy, including some shaky shots against Mitchell Starc, who was playing his first match of the season.The turning point came in the sixth over when Parag took on Kyle Jamieson and smashed a 6, 4, 6 sequence to shift the momentum. That burst helped RR recover to 56 for 2 at the end of the over and gave Parago confidence back.His innings flowed from there. He reached his fifty in 32 balls and added a crucial 102-run partnership with Dhruv Jurel, who contributed 42. Paraga’s strokeplay stood out, including a forehand six over the covers of T Natarajan and a stunning overhand between a flurry of boundaries.Even after Jurel’s dismissal, Parag remained in control and put together another useful stand with Ravindra Jadeja as RR pushed for a strong total. He eventually fell on 90 off 50 balls, caught trying to accelerate further.His efforts laid the foundation for Rajasthan Royals’ 225 for 6, Donovan Ferreira adding a late flourish with a quick 47 off just 14 balls.On a night when questions surrounded him, Parag answered in the best possible way, with the bat doing the talking, just as Ashwin pointed out.
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