GUWAHATI: Wearing flamboyance up his sleeve is not new to Riyan Parag and the youngster has even drawn criticism for that in the past. However, there's been a significant change in the talented Assam cricketer's approach to the game in the past couple of seasons that he is reaping the benefits of lately.
Batting at No. 4 for his state team in the domestic tournaments, Riyan was given the same batting position this season by the Rajasthan Royals' team management led by a calm and composed director of cricket in Kumar Sangakkara. Captained by an in-form Sanju Samson on the field has also given Riyan the needed comfort zone to perform well without having any pressure to suppress his natural free-flowing style of play.
Scoring 483 runs at an average of just above 60 with 153-plus strike rate, Riyan has finally come of age after the Royals persisted with their support for the last six seasons despite not returning the expected high performance.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the clash against Punjab Kings, here on Tuesday, the all-rounder said about his performance this season, "It was a combined decision (to come at No. 4), both from me and the team management. In the past seasons, the batting line-up was already packed, so there was no scope for me to bat at No. 4. I have always batted at No. 4 for Assam in domestic cricket, and so before the start of this IPL season, the management and I took the call."
Asked about his expectations from the match after they lost the low-scoring last match against Chennai Super Kings, "We are not looking at this match any differently than our usual approach to any game. We have lost three matches on the trot but that doesn't add much pressure on us for this game. In IPL this happens. We will aim for a win tomorrow (Wednesday) and hopefully will return to winning ways."
About the conditions here in Guwahati, the Assam captain said, "We expect that the dew is going to set in early. The wicket is much better than it was in Chennai. We are expecting a high-scoring game tomorrow but we won't know till the first five or six balls are bowled."
Due to the impact player rule, Riyan is not getting the opportunity to roll his arm this season but he keeps himself ready at the nets. Asked if it's taking any toll on his all-round abilities, Riyan added, "The introduction of the Impact player rule has made me the seventh bowling option for the team, as the team already has six bowling options. I'm both happy and sad at the same time, as my bowling isn't required that much. But I keep myself ready for the matches and keep bowling at the nets."
