RR vs GT: Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag lets his bat do the talking, smashes third fifty in ongoing IPL 2024

Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Riyan Parag continued to earn plaudits for his on-field performances when he smashed a 48-ball 76 against Gujarat Titans (GT) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 10.

In the process, Parag scored his fifth half-century in the IPL and the third of IPL 2024.

Parag and his skipper Sanju Samson bailed RR out with a scintillating 130-run partnership off just 80 balls after they were reduced to 42/2 in the powerplay. Samson was unbeaten on 68 (off just 38 balls) as RR posted 196 on the board.

Parag, who had an underwhelming IPL 2023, was back in his elements as he took the attack to the Titans’ bowlers, especially against left-arm spinner Noor Ahmed. Parag got to his fifty in 38 balls, and when he was dismissed for 76 in the 19th over, he had taken RR to a comfortable position, in the company of Samson.

Parag hit five sixes and three fours as he struck at an impressive 178.94 and is only second behind Virat Kohli in the list of leading run-scorers in the ongoing IPL.

Parag celebrated his milestone 50 by acknowledging the applause from the dug-out, who were on their feet.

Parag was a tad lucky, as he was dropped twice by wicketkeeper Matthew Wade off Rashid Khan. However, he did make use of the opportunities that came his way and bailed out RR.

Parag’s secret to success isn’t something new. After he was awarded player-of-the-match for his 54 against the Mumbai Indians, the Assam-born batter said keeping this simple was the key. “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,” he said.

Being true to his words, he kept it simple against the Gujarat Titans and let his bat do the talking.