Rajasthan Royals' Parag repaying the faith restored in him

Young Rajasthan Royals’ all-rounder Riyan Parag on Tuesday said he is paying back Rajasthan Royals for the faith the franchise has shown in him.

Parag was sensational against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday as he smashed an astonishing 56 not out off 31 balls, with the help of four sixes and three fours, before taking four catches during Bangalore’s innings.

On the back of Parag’s half-ton, Rajasthan made 144/8. Then a four-wicket haul by Kuldeep Sen saw Rajasthan Royals canter to a 29-run victory at the MCA stadium in Pune.

RCB were never really on the chase, and in the end, they were bundled out for 115 in 19.3 overs.

Parag won the Player of the Match award for his showing.

"A bit of satisfaction. The Royals have shown faith in me for the last three years, and I am paying them back bit by bit. I love pressure and I am just showcasing my abilities. During the time-out, Sanga (Team  head coach Kumar Sangakkara) came out and we agreed that 140 was a good total on this wicket. We decided to go big in the last two overs. I wanted to target Hasaranga in his second over, but we lost wickets, and so I had to strategise and go after Hazlewood and Harshal," Riyan Parag said in a post-match presentation.

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson said the team’s backing for Parag is yielding rich dividends.

"It is a really great win. After the start in the first 15 overs, we had real belief and trust in someone called Riyan Parag. We have been backing him for the last three-four years and he just showed it to the world today. I thought we were 10-15 runs short with no dew in the second innings. The pitch was turning and was two-paced, so 150-160 would have been a good total. It was something we were waiting for, for the back end of our batting to win us matches. Almost everyone has put up a match-winning performance so far," said Sanju Samson in a post-match presentation.

"The chat we had just before the second innings, was that when you are chasing 200 there is only one gear. But for such totals like 150, it was only a matter of putting pressure as the batsmen had to change gears. The dressing room atmosphere is really important. We make a couple of changes according to the wicket and the opponent, but communication is very important. Karun, for example, was left out just because we needed that one over from Daryl Mitchell, and he understands that, and he can come back in later," he added.