‘We’re human too, we make mistakes’: Riyan Parag urges IPL commentators to ‘talk cricket’

NEW DELHI: Riyan Parag launched a pointed defense of the players after Rajasthan Royals’ seven-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur, urging commentators and pundits to stop personal criticism and focus on the game itself.The RR captain, who missed the match due to a hamstring problem and remained among the substitutes, said the players often face unfair judgment from outside despite spending days preparing for each match.“We are performing as per the expectations of the audience. So I feel we all should love cricket and look at it in the same way. The players are working very hard,” Parag said after the win. “It’s very easy to say if a team gets all out for 75 or 80 runs that they don’t know how to play or have the mindset to play. But there’s 3-4 days of preparation before this game to make sure we can score 200-250. But sometimes that doesn’t happen.”“Commentators should talk about cricket”Parag, who has often found himself in the spotlight for reasons beyond his performances this season, including an off-field controversy, said criticism crosses a line when it turns personal.“We are human too and we make mistakes too. So I feel that even though it is happening outside, especially the commentators, their voices go to the people. I would like to ask them to love cricket. Talk about cricket,” he said at the post-match press conference.The 24-year-old, recently appointed vice-captain of the India A team for the tri-series in Sri Lanka, said the sport deserves more respect from those who shape public opinion.“The sport which is the most important sport in the country and in which we are the best should be treated with some respect. We should only talk about cricket. We should not talk about anything else,” he said.Parag added that he learned to tune out external noise.“In the last four years, I have understood one thing – no matter what I do, there will be interviews. I have also understood that whatever interviews happen, it should not affect my playing, my form or my thinking because keyboard warriors are outsiders,” Parag added.

Riyan Parag welcomes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Parag also reserved special praise for 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed 93 off 38 balls to anchor the 221-run chase.“I think that was his best innings,” Parag said. “When he was 5 off 10 or 11, there are always two ways to go. But he took his time. That first big shot by Mayank Yadav over the covers gave me the satisfaction that he may be small but he has more understanding of the game.”

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