Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag hit out at TV commentators and experts for personal attacks on him and urged them to focus on cricket. Following his team's victory over the Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday, Parag, who was sidelined due to a hamstring injury, spoke about the intense scrutiny he has faced, including an earlier incident involving vaping in the dressing room.
"A lot of things are happening off the field this year regarding the IPL," Parag told reporters after Rajasthan Royals' seven-wicket win. "I believe the entire country is passionate about cricket. We, as players, always strive to perform our best.
"We aim to meet the expectations of the fans. Therefore, I feel we should all approach cricket with the same love and perspective. Players are working very hard. It’s easy to simply say a team doesn't know how to play or lacks the right mindset when they are bowled out for a low score like 75 or 80 runs."
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He added that the players prepare for 3-4 days before every match to figure out how to score 200-250, but it may not happen sometimes.
"We are human too, and we make mistakes. So, as much as I see things happening off the field, especially with commentators whose voices reach the public, I would request them to show their love for cricket by talking about cricket."
Parag, who has recently been appointed vice-captain for India A's upcoming triangular series in Sri Lanka, was an impact substitute for Rajasthan Royals in Tuesday's match but did not participate in the game. The 24-year-old emphasised that cricket, being the nation's premier sport, deserves respect.
"This sport is the most important in our country, and we excel at it," he said. "I feel it deserves a bit of respect. We should focus solely on cricket and avoid discussing anything else."
Parag also shared his strategy for dealing with external commentary. "I have come to understand over the past four years that no matter what I do, there will always be chatter," he said. "I have also realised that these discussions shouldn't impact my game, my form, or my mindset because those who comment from behind keyboards are outsiders."
RR keep their play-off hopes alive
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued his great run this season, with a breathtaking 38-ball 93 as Rajasthan Royals moved closer to a playoff berth with the win over LSG.
The 15-year-old smashed 10 sixes, but missed out on his third IPL century by a mere seven runs. Thank to him and Dhruv Jurel's unbeaten 38-ball 53, Royals chased down the 221-run target in 19.1 overs. Earlier, Mitchell Marsh's 57-ball-96 had taken LSG to 220 for 5.
Sooryavanshi (53) is well on his way to break Chris Gayle's (59) record of maximum sixes in a season. He is now 26 runs short of completing 600 runs in the season.