Riyan is one of our best batters; we want him to face more overs: Rahul Dravid

Guwahati, Mar 30: Whenever Rajasthan Royals play in Guwahati, all eyes turn to Riyan Parag — the local star carrying the hopes of the entire state. Leading the Royals this season in the first three matches, the stage was set for him to shine. However, that moment is yet to come.

In the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Riyan looked promising at No. 3, effortlessly scoring 25 off 15 balls with three sixes. The crowd expected a big knock, but he fell to Varun Chakravarthy, mistiming a lofted shot to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

As the Royals gear up for their third game of the season, head coach Rahul Dravid emphasised the importance of Riyan spending more time in the middle.

“If I’m being honest, Riyan is one of our best batters, and we want him to play as many overs as possible in this format. The more time he spends at the crease, the better it is for us as a team. We know how destructive a player he is, and he feels comfortable and capable in this position,” Dravid said.

Backing Riyan’s captaincy:

Though Riyan is yet to taste success as a captain, Dravid praised his leadership.

“He (Riyan) is very good. I think he has adapted really well. He will learn quickly. It’s not easy to captain a side when the opposition is scoring around 280 on a flat surface in your first game,” Dravid noted.

“But I think the calmness he showed was really good. In the game against KKR, it was a brave decision to bring himself on to bowl during the fifth over in the PowerPlay, realising the wicket was turning and two left-handers were batting. It was the correct decision. He has been very impressive.”

A slow start, but no panic:

Rajasthan Royals haven’t had the ideal start to their IPL campaign, losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad and KKR. In both matches, they failed to seize key moments.

Now, they face the much-fancied Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. Despite the early setbacks, Dravid believes the team remains motivated.

“It is not difficult (to motivate the players) at all. Look, we did not play to our potential. Both the games were tough. In the match against SRH, on a very flat wicket, we probably gave away 25-30 extra runs. In the match against KKR, we should have scored 25-30 more runs. It’s early days in the tournament; this is just the start, and there are a lot of positives as well. We are hoping to have a good game against CSK,” he said.

On concerns about the squad lacking big names, Dravid remained optimistic.

“I’m very excited about the squad. I’m happy with the team. I know a couple of games haven’t gone our way, but that can happen in a big and long tournament. It’s going to be a tight tournament. It’s better to start slightly badly and then have a strong finish at the end,” the former India head coach reckoned.

With a crucial match against CSK ahead, the Royals will be eager to turn things around and prove their credentials in IPL 2025.