Rajasthan Royals suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, going down by five wickets despite Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s breathtaking 37-ball century. Riyan Parag faced the press afterwards and delivered an honest, measured assessment of where his side fell short.
“We Dropped Too Many Catches”
On the fielding, Parag was unsparing.
“I think skill-wise, we executed pretty nicely, but I think we dropped a few too many catches. And quality players like Abhishek and everyone who batted, I feel you can’t really drop catches of them and you can’t really give them second chances. And they took them, so credit to that. But we could have been better on the field.”
Trevor Penney Set for Tough Review
The question of what fielding coach Trevor Penney has in store for the squad drew a candid response.
“That’s going to be a sight to behold, hopefully not too harsh. But fielding plays a major part and next game we’ll try and step it up. We’ve got a day’s break, mentally refresh and then come back next game.”
RR Left 10-15 Runs Out There
On the batting total, Parag felt the side left runs behind.
“I think we left like 10-15 on the table. To be honest, they bowled really well in the 18th and the 19th over. They executed really good yorkers. Best-case scenario, I think we would have liked another 15 runs.”
Parag Explains Ravi Bishnoi Strategy
Parag also explained his bowling strategy, particularly around Ravi Bishnoi’s deployment.
“There were two lefties and I thought me and Don had a better chance of getting a wicket and then I wanted Klaasen to come in and then get Ravi and Jaddu bhai in. But the wicket was not really spin-friendly. So I just had to manage four overs. The pacers had to take wickets and the spinners had to just be there and control the economy. Didn’t really go to plan, but would do the same thing next time as well.”
Jofra Archer Continues to Impress
On Jofra Archer’s continued brilliance throughout the season, Parag was full of admiration.
“Absolutely, I think he’s been such a sensation this whole season. Another classical performance for him. Unlucky as well, a lot of top-edges in between the keeper and the fielders. A few unlucky chances, a few chances that we gave away. Hopefully we don’t repeat that next time.”
Focus Shifts to Punjab Kings Clash
Looking ahead to the Punjab Kings fixture in Chandigarh, Parag refused to be overwhelmed by the size of the chase PBKS completed against Delhi earlier in the day.
“Different venues everyday, different games, different ways to approach it. I feel we don’t know how Chandigarh is going to be as of now. They chased down a big score in Delhi, but Chandigarh is a new ground and a new wicket, a new soil. So hopefully it doesn’t go to that extent. We’d like to restrict them for lower, but then that’s another day’s thought and I have got some time to regroup, think about this and then move ahead.”
