Parag suggested that Suryavanshi’s opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, should be the one to handle the pressures of challenging moments in the game.
“As a captain, my advice to him would be to avoid excessive press conferences or media interaction,” Parag told reporters at a pre-season press conference.
“Let him enjoy the game, and I would also request you (media) to respect this. Please do not contact his manager or anyone; just allow him to be. He’s a 14-15 (14) year-old kid, and he should solely focus on playing cricket. He’s performing exceptionally well and is poised to make the country proud.” Parag mentioned that Sooryavanshi will have the freedom to play aggressively from the start, with Jaiswal being well-equipped to absorb the pressure.
“Certainly, some pressure will come his way, but I am going to reassure him that Jaiswal will manage it as he is more than capable of handling that role,” Parag stated.
“My only message for Vaibhav is to get out there and play. If the first ball is in his strike zone, hit it. There’s absolutely no issue with that.” “I don’t think any young player has achieved what he has in the past year. He’s making runs everywhere,” Parag added.
In the meantime, head coach Kumar Sangakkara expressed that he is not overly concerned about the Royals lacking any members from the Indian team that recently won the T20 World Cup.
“It is what it is. India performed tremendously well in the World Cup. I’m more focused on the players we have rather than those we don’t. Looking at my squad, there are plenty of capable Indian players, many of whom played in both World Cup squads,” he said.
Sangakkara noted that RR has aimed for more flexibility in the team compared to the last edition.
“We needed to enhance our side in terms of batting depth, local spin options, all-rounders, and providing more choices in the bowling department so we can rearrange our batting lineup as needed,” he mentioned.
In a pre-season trade, Rajasthan Royals lost their long-time skipper Sanju Samson, who left after an 11-year tenure for the Chennai Super Kings, with Ravindra Jadeja joining the team.
“With the trades we’ve executed and some auction acquisitions, we have effectively addressed the local spin department. This enables us to explore different options for overseas batters and bowlers, giving us greater flexibility,” Sangakkara explained.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published: Mar 20, 2026 11:25 PM IST
