"Even Rajasthan management must be thinking how long they should back Riyan Parag"- Virender Sehwag after GT vs RR in IPL 2023
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has questioned Rajasthan Royals (RR) all-rounder Riyan Parag's inconsistent performances despite their win against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday.
In four games this season, Riyan Parag has scored just 39 runs at an appalling strike rate of 108.33. Sehwag feels that the long rope that RR management have given the young all-rounder might be coming to an end
Speaking to Cricbuzz after RR's win over GT, here's what Virender Sehwag had to say about Riyan Parag's inconsistency:
"It is right for the players who are sitting outside to think 'What wrong have we done to not get these many chances.' Even Rajasthan management must be thinking how long they should back Riyan Parag. If he wants to play for India then this is the platform where he has to deliver, or else he deserves to sit on the bench."
Former Delhi all-rounder Rajat Bhatia was also present in the discussion and felt that the time had come for the Royals to look elsewhere for options in the middle order apart from Riyan Parag. He added:
"They have invested that trust in Riyan Parag for a long time now, but he just hasn't lived up to that trust. They are still in a good position and can afford to look at other players who are on the bench. The more you continue to back, the more injustice it will be on the players waiting in the wings. So this is their chance to check who else can fit in that role."
Virender Sehwag baffled with Riyan Parag batting higher than Shimron Hetmyer for RR
Virender Sehwag has been quite vocal about RR needing to let Shimron Hetmyer face more deliveries to make an impact. He feels the Royals have got Hetmyer's entry point right for the first time in their win against the Titans, but still thinks that the southpaw should batter higher than someone like Riyan Parag.
On this, Virender Sehwag stated:
"It is said that in T20 cricket, your best batters should face most number of balls. They send even Riyan Parag ahead of Hetmyer. I don't think Riyan Parag is a better batter than Hetmyer that they just hold Hetmyer back for the past 5-6 overs. He faces very less number of balls, even today just 26. He bats at No.3 or No.4 for West Indies where he gets to face many more deliveries."
With every poor performance, the pressure on Riyan increases and he might need to produce something special pretty soon.