3 reasons why Riyan Parag has an outside chance to be in India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad
It was March 14 last year when Rajasthan Royals player Riyan Parag tweeted, "My inner conscience says I'm hitting four sixes in an over at some point this IPL.". Little did he know that this tweet would stir the internet into trolling and meme storms.
Parag was trolled not only by fans but also by some big names in cricket analysis. Memes were made not because Parag wasn't able to hit those four sixes but because, despite RR trying him at different batting positions and match situations, the youngster couldn't deliver the promise.
In the 7 innings he played in IPL 2023, Riyan Parag only managed to score 78 runs at a SR of 118.2, hitting only five sixes, culminating in the tournament, let alone hitting 4 in an over.
All this criticism and trolling were taking a toll on the youngster's mind, but he decided to shut out the outside noise with his performance and keep doing what he does best: piling runs in domestic cricket, doing his usual milestone celebrations, and dancing to Bihu songs.
Riyan Parag was determined like never before, and Suryakumar Yadav testified to this when the latter tweeted after the youngster finally showed his potential to the world against the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2024.
Parag showcased his range of play, resurrected RR innings from 36/3 (in 7.3 overs) to 185/5, blasting 84 not out in just 45 balls smacking Anrich Nortje 25 runs in his last over (equivalent to 4 sixes he promised, if you say).
The maturity shown by the youngster was for the world to see. With top order gone, Riyan Parag was comfortable in meandering the innings with floater Ravichandran Ashwin at around run a ball before unleashing himself on DC bowlers.
Parag onslaught was not only brute force but also sheer timing with proper cricketing shots.
It might be way too early to say, but who knows if Riyan Parag continues to perform like this the entire IPL 2024 tournament, he might earn an outside chance to make it to the Indian T20 World Cup squad (even as a backup).
In this article, we will discuss some of the probable reasons why Parag could make it to the World Cup squad.
Why Riyan Parag has an outside chance to be in India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad?
#3. Pitches in the IPL and West Indies might be more or less similar
Pitches used in IPL 2024 seemed to be more on the same lines as what the West Indies and USA might offer. There's high-scoring flat wickets like Uppal in Hyderabad, sluggish and slow surfaces like Jaipur, and a green top at Chinnaswamy (so far).
Riyan Parag has played two games (both at Jaipur), but the slowness of the surface didn't hinder his SR, as he has batted with an SR of 171.45 on these surfaces, which testifies that he might get success on Carribian pitches in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
#2. Parag can be the floater
Though his recent success came batting at 4 for Rajasthan, Riyan Parag can float anywhere in the batting line-up.
He possesses all kinds of games and an array of shots in his armory. Against DC also, at 36/3 in the 8th over, he arrested the collapse, took his time, nugded the ball into gaps, and took the game deep to score his runs.
He can play the role of anchor as well as bat in the lower order. Add to this his more than handy bowling, and Parag provides a great T20 package to the side.
#1. Has both pace and spin
It was very last year, when bowlers were targeting Parag with short deliveries in IPL as well as domestic cricket.
Parag's spin game was never in question, but against high ceiling pace, he was coming into an awkward position, getting hurried away more often than not.
Come this IPL, be it Kagiso Rabada or Anrich Nortje, Parag smacked every pacer to smitten against all lengths. In 2 innings so far, 44% of his runs against pacers have come against hard lengths or short pitch deliveries.
Also, with his tweaked technique, he has gained that extra second for himself with minimal trigger movement in his stance, helping him judge the lengths early on.
If Caribbean pitches offer bouncy surfaces, then Parag's game against pace might come in handy.