Ahmedabad, May 27: Rajasthan Royals' young all-rounder Riyan Parag chose the wrong day to drop the first catch in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022! The young uncapped Indian put down a simple catch of Royal Challengers Bangalore's Rajat Patidar at point region.
Patidar - who slammed a match-winning 112 for RCB in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens a couple of nights ago - got a breather on 13 in the final over of the powerplay in the Qualifier 2 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Having hit RR seamer Prasidh Krishna for back-to-back boundaries, the right-handed batter tried to clear the third one for a four as well but he didn't get the elevation right as the ball flew over the point region but Parag failed to take the catch as the ball bounced off his hands.
The young cricketer from Assam tops the table of most catches this season with 15 so far but dropped a sitter and gave a reprieve to an in-form batter. Patidar made RR pay for Parag's folly as he ended up scoring 58 off 42 balls before getting dismissed.
Parag in the previous game irked many with his behaviour on the pitch when he tried to tease the ball to touch the ground after taking a catch.
Unamused by his behaviour, former Australia batting legend Matthew Hayden - who was in the commentary box - advised the cricketer to not take fate for granted.
"I gotta advice for you young man. Never ever term fate because it comes around quickly," Hayden said in the commentary box. The netizens were also unimpressed with Parag's antics on the ground and criticised him.
Here's what Twitterati had to say after Parag put down a sitter in Qualifier 2:
Harsha Bhogle during live commentary when spectator took catch in stands:
— Aadil khan (@AdilQadirKhan) May 27, 2022
Commentator: I think he should field at point when Riyan Parag dropped catch:
Harsha Bhogle: they both should interchange the position.
Art of trolling at its peak by Harsha Bhogle #RRvsRCB
Looks like the people on twitter were ready with drafts just waiting for Riyan Parag to drop a catch in any match. Repercussions of an unacceptable attitude is huge, he will remember this forever. #RCBvsRR #RRvsRCB
— Arnav Choubey (@arnavchoubey1) May 27, 2022
The only reason rr are playing Riyan Parag is his fielding and he bottled in that field also#RCBvRR pic.twitter.com/SEgqFZL927
— frozen🥶 (@ein_scofield) May 27, 2022
Karma always gets you, Riyan Parag 🥴#RCBvRR pic.twitter.com/JjGGMLGaHJ
— Utsav (@utsav__45) May 27, 2022
Speaking to the broadcasters Star Sports ahead of Qualifier 2, Parag claimed the team has learnt from the mistakes it committed in the previous game, the Qualifier 1, which RR lost by 7 wickets against Gujarat Titans.
"We learnt a lot from the last game. We have discussed a few changes. The team environment is really good. We have got an extra opportunity for finishing second in the table. There has been good vibe from the team. We haven't discussed much. We had decided before the tournament that we will maintain some balance. We have stuck to that. Our team composition is suitable for every condition and situation," Parag said ahead of the match against RCB.
Talking about his team's chances against RCB, Parag said, "We have good chances for this game. If you think about pressure, there will be pressure. It is an achievement for me to play at this ground as it is my first game here."