Vikram Rathour, the batting coach for the Rajasthan Royals, is unconcerned by captain Riyan Parag’s lackluster performances in the first eight IPL games because he is optimistic that the Assam batter will do well at some point throughout the competition.
Despite the inclusion of India regulars Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel, Riyan—a questionable choice for the Rajasthan Royals captaincy—has only amassed 88 runs in eight games at a pitiful strike-rate of 112.82 with a highest score of 20.
“There is nothing going wrong with him. He is batting well in the nets. He is working hard,” PTI quoted Rathour, a former India batting coach, telling reporters.
The three players who have carried the most of RR’s batting load thus far, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (357 at a strike-rate of 234-plus), Yashasvi Jaiswal (255 at 153), and Dhruv Jurel (232 at 130-plus), outperform Riyan’s results.
Riyan’s form has been so awful that he is even behind Donovan Ferreira (130) and Ravindra Jadeja (132).
Pat Cummins, the comeback man for Sunrisers Hyderabad, blasted a fast yorker onto the base of the stumps on Saturday, dismissing Riyan. The Assam cricketer lacked the mechanical skill to get the bat down in time.
“So that is how this game goes sometimes. You get into a lean phase or a phase where you are not scoring as many runs as you would like to. But that is part of the game, I think. He will come back and he will come back strong. I am pretty sure of that,” Rathour said.
“We are having a one-on-one conversation. We had noted Parag’s batting form. We have been talking about it a lot.”
