Riyan Parag's father Parag Das had asked him ahead of Rajasthan Royals' opening game of the IPL 2024 that does he know why people troll him. The RR batter, who has faced a lot of criticism from different facets, came up with a reply that materialised to perfection on the cricket field.
In the two innings of the ongoing Indian Premier League, the RR batter has scored 43 off 29 balls in the opener and a career-high of 84 from just 45 balls. The backlash has started to turn into showers of appreciation from all around. In the first five seasons of his stint with the Royals, he made just 600 runs in 54 matches. In only two games of this season, he has scored 127 and is gunning for more. It looks he has come of age and changed, Suryakumar Yadav also felt after the match-changing knock vs Delhi Capitals.
On Thursday against DC in Jaipur, he came of age to play a knock that he will remember for the rest of his life. Not only because of what the stats say - 84 runs from 45 balls - but because of the fact that it came on a challenging surface, where the likes of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal found it tough to get going. He will remember it due to how he turned things around when he walked out to bat with the hosts at 30/2 in 5.3 overs and then 57/3 at the halfway stage.
From thereon, the Assam batter took it to 185/5, well and truly competitive and eventually above par at the end. He will remember it for the patience and effort he had to do for scoring runs on a tricky surface. Also, for how he tonked one of the fiercest bowlers in the world - Anrich Nortje - for 25 runs in the final over.
This success has to do with how mentally tough Riyan is. He became the center point of discussions even when he was not batting. In an interview with the Indian Express Parag had recently said, "People have a problem with me chewing gum. If my collar is up, that’s a problem. I celebrate after taking a catch, that’s a problem. They have a problem with me gaming and playing golf in my off time."
Now he knows that he has answered them. "Emotions are settled, mom is here, she has seen the struggle, the last 3-4 years. I know what my opinion is about myself. That does not change regardless of whether I get a zero or not," he said to the broadcaster after the win against the Delhi Capitals.
Riyan has also had a stellar domestic season, where he tallied 1242 runs across the three formats in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20, Deodhar Trophy and the Ranji Trophy. "That's a lot to do with the type of season as well, I had a great domestic season and that helps. Someone in the top four has to play the 20 overs, the wicket was keeping low and stopping, in the first game Sanju bhayya did it. I have worked very hard, the last 3 days I was in bed, I was on painkillers, I just got up today and I'm very happy," Riyan credits it to his domestic season.
But what more would have helped is the conversation with the dad. According to the daily newspaper mentioned above, his dad asked him before the 2024 season, "Do you know why they troll you?". Riyan replied, "Dad there is expectation, people want me to succeed, and that’s why I am at the receiving end. The day I will start scoring consistently, these trolls will sing my name." And boy, many might have started to sing now.
