Shane Bond, assistant coach of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), showered praise on Riyan Parag following his remarkable performance in the IPL 2024 clash against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on April 1. Parag’s stellar unbeaten knock of 54 proved instrumental in guiding RR to a thrilling six-wicket victory in a match where the chase appeared deceptively challenging.
Reflecting on Parag’s impact, Bond drew parallels between the young cricketer and a budding Suryakumar Yadav during his early years with the Mumbai Indians in 2011. Bond lauded Parag as a player of “extreme talent,” emphasizing his maturity despite being just 22 years old. The former New Zealand fast bowler commended the decision to promote Parag to No. 4 in the batting order, citing his stellar form in domestic cricket as a crucial factor.
“He (Riyan Parag) sort of reminds me a little bit of Surya (Suryakumar Yadav), who came to Mumbai a few years ago. He looks like that – he has got extreme talent. He has just matured as a cricketer, even though he is only 22,” Shane Bond remarked during the post-match press conference.
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Shane Bond highlighted Parag’s role as a finisher in the IPL at a tender age, juxtaposing it with other teams’ reliance on seasoned international players for similar responsibilities. He expressed satisfaction in witnessing the management’s utilization of Parag’s potential and emphasized the wealth of experience the young cricketer has garnered over the years.
“Riyan started so young, you forget that he was 17 or something, playing in one of the toughest spots in a batting lineup of No 6. You look at the characters who finish games around the IPL, they are generally pretty experienced guys,” Shane Bond noted.
With optimism for Parag’s future contributions, Bond underscored the dividends of RR’s investment in the talented youngster, foreseeing exciting prospects for the remainder of the season.
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“The investment that RR have made of him, it’s starting to reap the rewards. It is pretty exciting what he could offer for the rest of the season for us,” Shane Bond concluded.
