Rajasthan Royals' faith in Riyan Parag seems to be gradually coming to fruition as the 22-year-old is showing signs of maturity and calmness amid all the chaos in the middle.
The Guwahati-born was at his absolute best during the clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday as he scored an unbeaten 84 off 45 balls and helped his team register its second win of the ongoing IPL season.
Riyan's knock was filled with exhilarating shots and was smoothly compiled with the help of seven fours and six sixes, however, the lead-up to the game for him was far from smooth as his knock appeared.
Down with flu, Riyan revealed that he took painkillers to get himself match-fit for the game against Delhi.
"(On emotions after the knock) They are settled, mom is here, she has seen the struggle, the last 3-4 years. I know what my opinion is about myself. That does not change regardless of whether I get a zero or not," said Riyan during the post-match presentation.
"That's a lot to do with the type of season as well, I had a great domestic season and that helps. Someone in the top four has to play the 20 overs, the wicket was keeping low and stopping, in the first game, Sanju bhayya (Sanju Samson) did it. I have worked very hard, the last 3 days I was in bed, I was on painkillers, I just got up today and I'm very happy," he added.
Notably, Riyan enjoyed a stellar season with the willow in hand in the lead-up to the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With 510 runs in 10 matches, Riyan finished as the leading run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2023.
His SMAT season was laden with seven fifties and his runs came at an impressive strike rate of 182.79.
