Amit Mishra Slams Riyan Parag for Blaming Team After RR’s Narrow Loss to RCB
In a fiery critique, veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra has taken aim at Rajasthan Royals’ stand-in captain Riyan Parag following their heart-wrenching 11-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday in the IPL 2023 season. With regular skipper Sanju Samson sidelined due to injury, Parag took the reins but faced sharp criticism for both his on-field decisions and post-match comments.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Mishra didn’t hold back, accusing Parag of shirking responsibility for his own errors in a crunch situation. “You yourself made a mistake at a critical moment. How can you blame others? It’s not like you were miles behind in the game. You were in contention throughout. It wasn’t a 40-50 run loss; it was a close match. You could have won with an over to spare if you hadn’t gotten out at the wrong time. The kind of risky shots you attempted in that situation could have been avoided. You should have taken the match deeper and finished it,” Mishra remarked pointedly.
Parag, who led RR for the first time this season, expressed disappointment after the game, stating, “We did really well with the ball. I thought it was a 210-215 wicket, and we held them back impressively. Halfway through our innings, we were in the driver’s seat. We’ve got ourselves to blame. We didn’t show enough intent against their spinners.” His comments, however, drew ire for seemingly deflecting personal accountability, especially after a performance marred by a dropped catch and a reckless dismissal.
The match at Jaipur saw Parag win the toss and opt to bowl first, a decision that initially seemed justified as RR restricted RCB to a competitive 205/5, despite fiery knocks from Virat Kohli (72 off 48) and Glenn Maxwell (54 off 36). In response, RR’s chase started with a bang, thanks to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s explosive 49 off 19 and a gritty 47 off 34 from Dhruv Jurel. Youngster Vaibhav Suryavanshi also chipped in with a promising cameo, but the momentum fizzled out in the death overs.
Parag’s own contribution was a brief 22 off 10 balls, ending prematurely with a mistimed shot that handed RCB the upper hand. His earlier dropped catch of Maxwell proved costly too, as the Australian went on to punish RR. The final nail in the coffin came via RCB’s Josh Hazlewood, whose sensational 19th over—conceding just one run while taking two wickets in two balls—sealed RR’s fate at 194/9. This defeat marked RR’s seventh loss in nine games, officially knocking them out of playoff contention.
Hazlewood’s redemption arc was a highlight of the night. After being smashed early in the innings, the Australian pacer showcased nerves of steel, underlining the stark contrast in composure between the two sides. For RR, the loss exposed familiar frailties—poor shot selection under pressure and a lack of intent against spin, as Parag himself admitted.
As the dust settles on yet another disappointing campaign for Rajasthan Royals, Mishra’s words serve as a stark reminder of the importance of leadership and accountability. With Parag under the spotlight, the young all-rounder will need to reflect on his approach if he is to grow into the leader RR hopes he can become. For now, RCB celebrates a crucial victory, keeping their own playoff dreams alive with a display of grit and precision.