“I was taking analgesics”: Riyan Parag describes his struggle with fitness before making the game-winning strike against Delhi

The Rajasthan Royals’ confidence in Riyan Parag seems to be paying off, as the 22-year-old is displaying maturity and composure in the midst of all the mayhem.

The Guwahati native was at the top of his game on Thursday night at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, where he amassed an undefeated 84 off 45 balls to help his club win its second match of the present IPL season.

Though Riyan’s knock was full of thrilling strokes and was put together with ease with seven fours and six sixes, his journey to the game was not as easy as it seemed.

Riyan said that he used painkillers to make himself match-fit for the game versus Delhi despite being sick with the illness.

“(On feelings after the knock) They’re settled; mom is here; she’s seen the fight over the last three to four years. I am aware of my thoughts about myself. That remains the same whether I get a zero or nott,” Riyan said during the post-game press conference.

“That also has a lot to do with the kind of season; fortunately, I had a fantastic domestic season. In the first game, Sanju Bhayya (Sanju Samson) kept the wicket low and stopped, meaning that someone in the top four had to play the whole 20 overs. I’m quite glad that I woke up today after working so hard and spending the previous three days in bed on painkillers,” he said.

Notably, in the run-up to the 17th Indian Premier League (IPL), Riyan had an outstanding season with the willow in hand. Riyan emerged as the top run scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2023 with 510 runs in 10 games.

He had seven fifties throughout his SMAT season, and he scored runs at a very good strike rate of 182.79.