IPL 2023: "I'll Just Say Only MS Dhoni Has Mastered It And No One Else Has": Riyan Parag On Batting Lower Order

All ten franchises disclosed their list of retained and released players ahead of the IPL 2022 mini-auction on December 3. Riyan Parag was not one of the nine players released by the Rajasthan Royals.

RR has shown faith in the 21-year-old despite the fact that he did not spark the tournament as RR would have expected him to in the previous several IPL seasons.

In 17 innings and 183 runs, including one half-century, Parag had a respectable IPL 2022 performance. decent considering the young person’s experience with the first two editions was rather nasty.

With 86 runs from 12 games in IPL 2020 and 93 runs from 11 matches the following year, the social media swords were drawn, and Parag had to deal with unending abuse. The youngster discussed his down phase and how he handled it in detail.

“2020 was a low period in my career. And then I talked to myself a lot and realized that just my viewpoint matters and no one else’s. Even if Sangakkara and Sanju Samson say nice things about me and I don’t believe them, I don’t think it makes sense or affects me,” Parag said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.

“So I believe the outside noise is and will always be present. If I do well, the same people will acclaim me and keep me as king. So it really doesn’t matter. I know what I think of myself, and I’m going to stick to it “Riyan Parag said.

“Batting lower is an art that not many have mastered”: Riyan Parag

This year was a little better because Parag had a lot more opportunities, even though they were further down the list. The 21-year-old generally batted at No. 6 or 7, with RR having a strong top order. Despite some of his on-field antics getting the wrong kind of attention from some previous players, Parag maintained his composure.

He acknowledges that, outside of the great MS Dhoni, few people have mastered the skill of batting lower, but Parag is preparing for the job and is optimistic that he will succeed in it.

“Coming in and slogging is the more difficult job in T20 cricket. Sixth and seventh are the most difficult positions to play in T20 cricket. Only a few of the men have mastered it. I’ll just say that only MS Dhoni has perfected it, and no one else has. And I’m doing it at such a young point in my career.”

“I’m not even mastering it; I’m just getting close to understanding how it all feels – I’m simply sifting my way through it. So people may say anything they want, but I know how difficult my work is and my team believes in me,” Parag further added.

Riyan Parag has been Assam’s highest run-getter for the past three T20 seasons, with his leg spin also accounting for 17 wickets.

Also Read: IPL 2023 Auction: “I Never Got A Call”- Manish Pandey On Getting Released By Lucknow Super Giants