[Watch] Riyan Parag unleashes an MS Dhoni-esque 'Helicopter' shot in RR-GT IPL 2024 clash
Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Riyan Parag brought out the MS Dhoni in him with a helicopter shot in the Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2024 at Jaipur on April 10.
The 22-year-old has been in the form of his life and continued his purple patch with another sublime innings of 76 from 48 deliveries on Wednesday. Batting on 61, he whipped a shot reminiscent of Dhoni's trademark helicopter off the second ball of the 17th over from Mohit Sharma.
Although he didn't time it to perfection, Umesh Yadav at deep mid-wicket didn't account for the backspin and allowed the ball to go through for an inexplicable boundary.
Here is a video of Parag's stunning helicopter shot:
Having struggled throughout his IPL career, Parag has repaid the faith shown to him by the RR management in the ongoing season.
The youngster is their leading run-scorer thus far with 261 runs at an average of 87 and a strike rate of over 158 in five outings. The half-century in the ongoing clash against GT was also his third of the season and it included three boundaries and five maximums.
RR post a massive total of 196 against GT
Much like their season opener against LSG, RR found themselves in early trouble at 42/2 in the sixth over against GT at Jaipur.
However, skipper Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag took matters into their own hands similar to the LSG game, and belted the GT attack all around the park. The duo added an incredible 130 off 78 deliveries for the third wicket to propel RR to a massive 196/3 in 20 overs. While Parag was dismissed for a 48-ball 76, Samson remained unbeaten on 68 off 38.
RR are the only unbeaten side thus far in the competition, winning all four of their games to be on top of the points table. They have, however, historically struggled against GT, winning only the lone game in five meetings.
The two teams also met in the 2022 IPL final, with GT coming out on top by seven wickets. As things stand, GT have begun their reply with a solid start of 18/0 in three overs.