'In the last two innings, it seemed like he was going too hard too soon' - Aakash Chopra on Riyan Parag ahead of RR's clash with MI

One of the biggest comeback stories of this year's Indian Premier League has been the resurgence of Guwahati-born Riyan Parag, who has had his best season for the Rajasthan Royals so far, having represented them since 2019. He has bettered in all metrics as compared to his previous seasons, scoring 318 runs in seven matches at a blazing strike rate of 161.42 and an impressive average of 63.60, scoring three fifties, with two of them coming in winning causes.

The ball-striking and dominance on display by Parag has mesmerised one and all. In a video posted on his official YouTube channel, former cricketer-turned-commentator, Aakash Chopra, lavished praise on the batter, stating that any youngster who's on a streak of standout performances, should be concentrated on. Referencing his previous couple of innings against the Punjab Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders in which he scored 23 (18) and 34 (14), respectively, both during chasing targets, Chopra opined that even though he thought Parag batted well, he felt that the 22-year-old was a bit rushed and tried to take the game by the scruff of its neck way too early without getting acclimated into his groove.

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"Riyan's form is very good. When someone is playing well, you should focus on the kid about how he plays this time. Although he was batting well, in the last two innings, it seemed like he was going too hard too soon," Chopra remarked.

He batted extremely well: Chopra on Parag's most recent knock against MI in Mumbai

While picking the youngster as the player to look out for during the clash between the table-toppers and the Mumbai Indians, he reminded everyone about his unbeaten 54* (39) which came against MI at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, a knock which was crucial in expediting RR's net run rate after their six-wicket win chasing 126 on a slightly tricky surface for the batters.

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"For this game, I am going with Riyan Parag because he scored a fifty in the last match (against MI). He batted extremely well. He hit a six over cover off Gerald Coetzee's bowling. He played a pull shot as well and a six off Piyush Chawla's bowling," Chopra reasoned.