IPL 2024: 'Goal was to Take the Game Deep', Says Riyan Parag After RR Set Strong Target for LSG to Chase

Rajasthan Royals began their IPL 2024 season with a strong batting performance as the team from Jaipur put up a total of 193 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in their 20 overs against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Manshing Stadium on Sunday.

Skipper Sanju Samson led from the front with his unbeaten 82 runs knock and was ably supported by Riyan Parag, who made a quality 43 runs off just 29 deliveries to stabilise the RR innings.

Parag came in to bat at 49/2 in the sixth over and managed to put up a 93-run stand alongside his captain to steady the ship for the side.

“The main goal was to take the game deep,” the 22-year-old began.

“The wicket was staying very low and was assisting the spinners,” he explained.

Parag, who is coming off an incredible domestic season that witnessed him score a bucket load of runs said that he took a leaf out of his domestic performances and worked on honing it to fit the format in the days leading up to the T20 extravaganza.

“My mindset was simple, the way I play my domestic game, I just practised well in the last 10 days and implemented it on the ground today,” Parag elucidated.

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Parag came in to bat at No.4 for Rajasthan on the day, the same position he has been batting in the domestic circuit. He expressed that the clarity offered to him about his batting position by Head Coach Kumar Sangakkara and skipper Sanju Samson helped him do well in the opening game of the tournament.

“Sanga was pretty clear, I had a chat with him, Sanju bhaiya and the management, I wanted that clarity, I had played at 4 in the domestic season,” he concluded.

RR opted to bat first and were given a brisk start by Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but both openers failed to capitalise on their quick start as they were sent back to the hut for 11 and 24 runs respectively. Dhurv Jurel, who remained unbeaten alongside Samson chipped in with a 20-run contribution to propel RR to the string score.