IPL 2024: Shane Bond likens Riyan Parag with Suryakumar Yadav following his heroics against MI

Riyan Parag is in top form with the bat in the ongoing IPL 2024.

Shane Bond, the bowling coach of Rajasthan Royals (RR), lavished rich praise on batter Riyan Parag after RR defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) in a low-scoring IPL 2024 encounter in Mumbai on April 1, 2024.   

The 22-year-old Parag has carried his strong domestic form into the IPL, scoring two high-quality fifties to help Rajasthan win three in a row, the most recent coming against MI on Monday night.

Shane Bond joined the Royals’ staff this year after a nine-year run with Mumbai. He stated that the Royals have put up their lineup this year to maximize Parag’s performance. He even likened Riyan Parag to MI’s ace batter Suryakumar Yadav.

Parag made 54* as RR won the game by 6 wickets and 27 balls to spare, chasing 126 runs.

“He sort of reminds me a little bit of Surya [Suryakumar], who came to Mumbai a few years ago. He looks like that – he has got extreme talent. He has matured as a cricketer, even though he is only 22.

He has had an outstanding domestic season batting up the order. The trade we made with Devdutt [Padikkal], bringing Avesh [Khan] in, that was to put Riyan up into a position which was probably better suited,” Bond was quoted as ESPNCricinfo.

The investment that RR has made in Riyan Parag is paying off now – Shane Bond

Bond said it was unfair to judge Parag on previous seasons when he had to play the role of a finisher at such a young age.

“Riyan started so young, you forget that he was 17 or something, playing in one of the toughest spots in a batting line-up: No. 6. You look at the characters who finish games around the IPL, they are generally pretty experienced guys. The Tim Davids, the David Millers… these are high-quality players who play international cricket. Riyan had been tasked with that for a number of years. He is still a very young man, but he has got this wealth of experience behind him now.

We are getting the best of him. The investment that RR has made in him, it’s starting to reap the rewards. It is pretty exciting what he could offer for the rest of the season for us,” Bond added.

RR will next clash with RCB in Jaipur on April 6.

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