Riyan Parag breaks silence with first reaction since being dropped by Rajasthan Royals: 'It's very simple…'

Riyan Parag hasn't been a part of the Rajasthan Royals XI since April 19, when the side took on the LSG.

The Rajasthan Royals took on the Gujarat Titans in the 2023 Indian Premier League match on Friday night; the Royals will be aiming at a double over the defending champions after they had defeated Hardik Pandya's men by three wickets earlier in the season. The two finalists of the last year's IPL are enjoying another impressive edition so far; while the Titans are at the top of the table with 12 points, RR can displace them with a win in Jaipur on Saturday.

Riyan Parag (IPL)

Over the past few games, the Royals sidelined their batter Riyan Parag following a series of inconsistent performances; many fans and former cricketers alike had been calling for Parag's exclusion and even as the batter is named among the Impact Player substitutes, he hasn't been used since being dropped. The 21-year-old batter's last game for the Royals was against Lucknow Super Giants on April 19.

Ahead of the game against Titans – where he was named as an Impact Substitute again – Parag opened up on his time at the sidelines and spoke about his training sessions with Zubin Bharucha, the former Indian cricketer who is currently the High Performance Director for the Royals.

“Time to get back to basics for me. I spent some time with Zubin (Bharucha) sir, and haven't missed practice even once in the last five days," Parag said ahead of the start of the game, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"(I've) Been doing long sessions and strengthening my basics. I’m trying to expand my hitting areas, I generally look to hit straight but now the focus is to try and hit all around the field. Want to keep more options available for me. It’s very simple for me, I want to win games for my side. Whenever I get a chance I’ll try to win a game for RR, because we have got 5 games left and we need to win three to finish top two,” Parag further said.