Shane Bond hails "quality player" Riyan Parag as he continues to prosper in "amazing season"

Guwahati (Assam) [India], May 16 : Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond heaped praise on youngster Riyan Parag who is having a breakout season with the bat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
An investment from the past has finally started to pay off with Parag showcasing his true potential with his stroke play which is filled with technical prowess.
Parag's promotion to the number four spot in the batting order has turned around his fortune this season. He turned up for the Royals when they were tottering against the Punjab Kings at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. The 22-year-old struck 48 off 34 deliveries which was laced with six boundaries.
He looked set to stay till the end and finish off the innings for the Royals but Harshal Patel trapped him in front of the stumps to end his stay on the crease. His efforts helped Rajasthan put 144/9 on the board, a total to defend against Punjab.
"Riyan has had an amazing season. That promotion to No.4 has really suited Riyan. He has had a number of years batting in a position that was pretty tough down the order. People forget how young he is. It just takes time when you are young. Obviously saw how well he played in domestic cricket. Particularly in the T20s and he has just rolled on. He is a quality player. There is no doubt about that. I am really excited and proud of him the way he has played so far. I think the team is super excited for him, he has borne the brunt of criticism over the last few years in terms of performances," Bond said in the post-match press conference.
Overall this season, Riyan is the highest run-scorer for the Royals this season with a tally of 531 in 13 matches, scoring at an average of 59.00. He is also the fourth-highest run-getter in the IPL 2024.
Just like Rajasthan, Punjab batters also struggled to adjust to the slow surface of the Barsapara. The hosts adopted the approach of attacking the stumps which was used by Punjab bowlers earlier in the innings. Their efforts reduced the Kings to 48/4.
Sam Curran (63*) and Jitesh Sharma's (22) 63-run stand took the game away from the Royals and sealed a five-wicket win for the Kings.
"It was a slow wicket. Kings bowled really well on it. Sort of gave us an indication of the way to bowl. They bowled really straight. The only time that we sort of hurt them is when they get offered up some width. The spinner bowled well and they controlled the innings really and that was a goal when we went out to bowl. Bowl straight wicket-to-wicket. Try to make things as hard as we possibly could. At one point we were really in the game. Probably the passage between the two timeouts we just took the foot off the gas a little bit. Obviously, Sam (Curran) played really well he controlled the innings beautifully all the way till the end," Bond stated.
Rajasthan have qualified for the playoffs and will end their group stage campaign against guaranteed table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.