Image Source: PTI
[Saba Sports News] Riyan Parag has been rewarding the team management’s longstanding faith with a stellar performance in the IPL 2024, attributing his success to a back-to-basics approach that mirrors his domestic cricket success. Parag emphasized the simplicity of his strategy this season, focusing on watching the ball closely and hitting it effectively, a departure from overthinking and experimenting during less productive periods.
“Nothing, to be honest,” Parag shared with broadcasters when question about what differently he has done this season. “Actually I have simplified everything instead of trying to do a lot of things. Before when I was not getting runs, I would think about it too much, try and do different stuff altogether, and then it would not work out. This year the goal was to keep it simple – watch the ball and hit the ball.”
In a challenging match at Wankhede Stadium, Parag played a crucial innings for Rajasthan Royals, scoring an unbeaten 54 off 39 balls under pressure. He likened the situation to familiar scenarios faced in domestic cricket, indicating a calculated approach to navigating the innings.
“I have said it before, when I play domestic (cricket) this is the exact type of situation I go in to bat. When Jos [Buttler] bhai got out, and Ash [R Ashwin] bhai got out a little after, I was like, ‘okay, this is what I do. This is what I’ve been doing for the last six months playing domestic cricket’. So it was pretty simple to calculate everything,” he said.
Since his IPL debut in 2019, Parag experienced fluctuating success, with a notable dip in performance in subsequent seasons. However, this season marked a significant turnaround, with Parag leading as the orange cap holder thanks to his robust form, including multiple half-centuries and impressive scores in domestic tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Ranji Trophy.
Parag’s resurgence in form is the result of intense reflection and practice post a few underwhelming seasons. He identified a gap in his practice at the professional level, dedicating himself to rigorous training focused on specific scenarios and deliveries. This dedicated preparation has been key to his current success in the IPL.
“I’ve had three-four years of not performing at all, or even performing if it’s one match a season. You really go back to the hotel room and think to yourself that when you know you can do something and it’s not coming, the performances are not coming, you get back to the drawing board. “I tried finding what was wrong and I figured out that I was not practising at this level enough. So I went back after the (2023) season and practised very hard. And I think that’s showing now. I practised these types of balls, these types of scenarios a lot. Hence the performances.”