Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 29 (ANI): Having spent his first five Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons primarily as a finisher, Riyan Parag experienced a breakthrough campaign in 2024. Elevated to No. 4 in the batting order, he emerged as Rajasthan Royals' leading run-scorer, playing a pivotal role in their journey to the playoffs, as per ESPNcricinfo.

This season, Parag has been handed an even greater responsibility, moving up to No. 3 as Rajasthan Royals aim to maximize his potential. Head coach Rahul Dravid has hailed him as one of their best batters. However, his start to IPL 2025 has been modest, with scores of 4 and 25 in RR's opening two matches. Sunday's clash against Chennai Super Kings presents his final opportunity to register a significant score on his home ground, as Guwahati will host RR's last match of the season.

'That's the right word to use, that he's promoted,' Dravid said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'Look, Riyan is one of our best batters, let's be honest. And we want to give him as many balls as we possibly can. Twenty overs is a very short time and the more balls Riyan Parag bats for us, the better it is for us as a team,' he added.

'But of course, these things we'll keep looking at, we'll keep assessing, we'll keep seeing how it goes. And yeah, we know that Riyan has done really well at No. 4, so it gives us an option,' Dravid noted.

'But honestly, the move to No. 3 was a positive move to try and give him more time to bat. And we know how destructive a player he is and if he gets more time, then he can score more runs and that can benefit the team. So that was the thinking, but we can always assess that and we can always see how it's going. And I think he's quite comfortable, he's more than capable of batting at any position,' he said.

In addition to his batting responsibilities, Parag has also stepped in as Rajasthan Royals' captain in the absence of regular skipper Sanju Samson, who is still recovering from a finger injury. With Samson limited to batting as an impact substitute, Parag has taken charge of leading the side. The task has been challenging, with RR suffering defeats in their first two matches, but Dravid remains supportive of the 23-year-old. Having first coached Parag as a 16-year-old in 2017 during his tenure with India's Under-19 team, Dravid continues to back him, believing in his talent and leadership potential.

'I think he's adapted really well,' Dravid said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

'It's not easy to captain when the team is scoring 280 runs [Sunrisers Hyderabad] on a flat wicket. The first game is probably a tough game to be a captain. But I think the calmness that he showed and the fact that it didn't seem like our team was panicking was really good,' he said.

'Even in the game against KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders], his brave decision to bring himself on [with the ball], realising that the wicket was turning, with two left-handers batting, to bowl the fifth over in the powerplay was a brave decision and a correct decision. So I think he's been very impressive. As a captain, it's nice for him to get this opportunity till Sanju is able to field again. And he's sharing his thoughts and his ideas. Very clear. He's very solid in that sense,' he noted.

'So, yeah, very impressive early days. And it's very nice for us as, again, a team that's looking to develop people and players. Of course, it's unfortunate that Sanju was not able to captain and play for us. But I think in a way it's nice that we were able to give Riyan, our vice-captain, a chance to captain in a few games and give him that exposure and experience as well,' he said. (ANI)