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[Saba Sports News] Following criticism for his performance in the last Indian Premier League (IPL), young cricketer Riyan Parag has made a strong comeback, hitting consecutive centuries for Assam in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. Playing a bold and fearless style of cricket in red-ball matches, the 22-year-old is now focusing on enhancing his white-ball skills for the next IPL season.
Parag has been working on expressing himself more freely on the field, adopting an aggressive approach right from the start. He credits his improvement to practice sessions with his father, Parag Das, and coach Zubin Bharucha, focusing on refining his game. Parag emphasizes the importance of muscle memory and repetitive practice to translate his skills effectively into match situations, as noted in his comments to Sportstar.
“I am expressing myself more on the field now. My mindset is to hit the first ball, for a six if it is in my range and I don’t mind getting out for playing that shot. During the off-season I fine-tuned my game with my dad Parag Das and Zubin Bharucha. I always had the shots but I realised that I need to practice a lot. Cricket is all about muscle memory. So I try to be more repetitive in practice and try to implement that in game situation,” Parag shared.
Looking ahead to IPL 2024, Parag is eager to carry his domestic success into the tournament, despite acknowledging the higher skill level of IPL bowlers. He anticipates possibly batting higher up the order, drawing confidence from his consistent performance at number four for Assam.
“The IPL is going to be huge for me. I am just thinking of carrying my domestic form into the IPL. I know it is a different tournament, the bowlers are more skilful but my skill doesn’t go away. I might be batting up the order this time in the IPL. I have always batted at number four for Assam and if you do something consistently you are tuned in for that,” he added.
Before IPL 2023, Parag had high expectations, even predicting to hit four sixes in an over, but this did not materialize, leading to significant online trolling. However, he remains determined to improve and contribute significantly to Rajasthan Royals’ pursuit of their second IPL title.