Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has lavished praise on Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag and touted him as a future leader in the Indian setup. Shastri praised Parag for backing Tushar Deshpande in the final over to defend 11 runs. Deshpande ended up conceding just four runs as RR beat Gujarat Titans (GT) by four runs at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Shastri labelled it as ‘one of the best games in IPL history’ that needs to be archived.
“Easily one of the best games in IPL history. Archive this one! Riyan Parag you have got ba**s of steel and a big future ahead, especially in a leadership role. Outstanding temperament. Well played!” Shastri wrote on his Instagram story and X account after the game.
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However, when GT needed 15 runs from last two overs with Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada on the attack, it was Dhruv Jurel who played the tactical masterstroke. Parag and Jofra Archer credited Jurel for the last-minute call to give England pacer the penultimate over instead of Tushar Deshpande. Archer conceded just four runs in the over. Then, Deshpande executed yorkers with perfection and dismissed Rashid as well.
"I was actually going to switch up the order," Parag said after the thrilling win. "So, credit to Dhruv Jurel for that. He asked me to go Jofra on the 19th and the plan was because it was a three-ball difference - it was 15 off 12 - and I just wanted to take a chance. Go as fast as possible and as aggressive as possible."
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However, it is to be noted that Nandre Burger had an over left as well. Burger had got rid of Jos Buttler in the middle overs.
Parag gets the breakthrough
Earlier, Parag had done his bit with the ball as well. He introduced himself in the eighth over and broke the opening partnership. On his GT debut, Kushagra scored 18 runs from 14 balls. He lost his wicket to Parag.
The RR skipper wasn't at his best with the bat. He walked out to bat at no.4 and departed after scoring just eight runs from four balls, including a six. Prasidh Krishna dismissed him.
The win helped RR dethrone Delhi Capitals from the top of the points table. They will go up against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their next clash on April 7 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.