Riyan Parag's captaincy gets thumbs up from MS Dhoni's teammate after CSK showdown

Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag had a great day as a captain and in the field during his team's match against Chennai Super Kings. It was the last match of the season at Guwahati as RR registered their first win of the season.

Parag trusted Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma over the likes of Jofra Archer in the death overs. As a result, former Indian cricketers Mohammad Kaif and Harbhajan Singh hailed Riyan Parag for his brave captaincy calls that resulted in a positive outcome.

Harbhajan also mentioned the catching brilliance of Parag that resulted in Shivam Dube's wicket at an important stage of the game. The former offspinner labelled it as a turning point in the game.

Also read: Riyan Parag slapped by BCCI after first win as captain

"Great captaincy" - Mohammad Kaif to Riyan Parag

In a video uploaded on his social media account, Mohammad Kaif lauded Riyan Parag's brave captaincy calls in the dying stages of the game. Parag gave the last two overs of the game to Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma instead of giving the ball to a seasoned bowler like Jofra Archer.

"CSK lost, and you have to applaud the captaincy of Riyan Parag. (Jofra) Archer had three overs left, and he had also picked up a wicket. But he gave the 19th over to (Tushar) Deshpande and the last over to Sandeep (Sharma). Great captaincy!" Kaif said.

Brave call by young RR captain Riyan Parag. It takes guts to give Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma 19th and 20th overs ahead of international star Jofra Archer in a tight game. And this when Dhoni is at crease.🔥 pic.twitter.com/gFo6mne1pm

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) March 30, 2025

With 39 runs needed off the last two overs, Deshpande was given the penultimate over of the game. The over went for 19 runs and Sandeep was tasked to save 20 runs for the final wicket. The seasoned pacer held his nerve as RR scampered home by 6 runs in the end.

Harbhajan Singh hails Riyan Parag's catch

Harbhajan Singh, who was with Kaif in the video, recalled Parag's excellent catch to dismiss Shivam Dube and called it a turning point in the game. He also felt that the 18th over bowled by Theekshana, in which he gave away just 6 runs, made life difficult for CSK.

"I feel that the catch taken by him (Parag) was the turning point. The catch was taken at a (important) time because (Shivam) Dube is a kind of batter who can smash big hits, can hit sixes at will and the innings got slower afterwards," Harbhajan said.

The 18th over bowled by (Maheesh) Theekshana was the turning point. They needed 45 in three overs and then required 39 off the last two overs. It was too much to ask even if you're the world's best batter," he noted

"Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) was unable to hit big, and (MS) Dhoni couldn't connect as well. But credit to the captaincy (of Parag)," he added.

Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh laud Parag's "bold decision"

Kaif further recalled how Sandeep Sharma had trumped over Dhoni previously as well. Harbhajan responded by saying that Sandeep isn't a big name but does his job quietly whenever he gets an opportunity.

"It's not the first time that he (Sandeep) hasn't allowed Dhoni to hit his shots. He didn't allow Dhoni to hit big shots earlier as well by bowling slower bouncers and yorkers," Kaif mentioned.

"That's why he was retained as well. Many players have been talked about, but players like Sandeep are often not spoken about much. Credit to him. He bowled really well. Stuck to his plans," Harbhajan replied.

The former CSK offspinner praised Riyan Parag for trusting Sandeep and Deshpande over a bowler of Jofra Archer's stature and labelled it as a "bold decision".

"Jofra emerged as a highly expensive player, but the captain didn't show faith in his bowling (in death overs). Credit goes to the captaincy to take that bold decision because if the decision hadn't gone in his favor, he would have to listen to a lot of critics," Harbhajan added.

After losing their first two games of the tournament, the Rajasthan Royals are back to winning ways with a thrilling win over CSK. Mumbai Indians remain the only team in the season not to have won any match so far.

Meanwhile, the situation gets tougher for Chennai Super Kings as they have now lost two games in a row after winning their first game at Chepauk.