"Not In Best Form, Otherwise...": Riyan Parag Stuns Everyone With Post-Match Remark

Following his side's one-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Rajasthan Royals (RR) all-rounder Riyan Parag, who has had a breakout season with the franchise, admitted that he is not in his best form since he could not finish the game and has got a lot of areas to improve. In reply to SRH's 202-run target set following half-centuries from Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan almost won it for the Royals with a century partnership. But death bowling masterclass from SRH skipper Pat Cummins and Bhuvneshwar Kumar left the Pink franchise just one run short of a victory.

Following the game, Parag said during the post-match press conference, "I got a lot of areas to improve. I am not in my best form, I would have finished the game otherwise. I got a lot of areas to perfect. I try to learn from my mistakes and not repeat them. Is it my best innings? No. I would say that if I get a hundred," said Parag.

After years of underperforming down the order, which caused heavy trolling on social media, Parag has been a completely different batter while playing at number four, a position he prefers to play in domestic cricket, where he has a better record. In 10 matches, he has scored 409 runs in nine innings at an average of 58.42 and a strike rate of 159.84, with four half-centuries. His best score is 84*.

Parag described the loss as "dramatic" and said that some small errors cost them the game.

"It is never good to end on the losing side. We did a lot of things right. We will focus on more rather than dwelling on our mistakes. We are in a good position in the points table. Just one bad game I guess. We made a few errors in two-three overs and it cost us the game.