Rajasthan Royals player Riyan Parag dominated the social media conversations on Sunday after his team defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 24 runs. His decision to mock ‘umpires’ with his controversial celebration left fans and Australian commentator Matthew Hayden seething. However, the RR player has found some support from those, who detect hypocrisy in criticism for Parag since the same was often hailed for other more established cricketers such as Virat Kohli and others.
Parag had claimed a catch of Marcus Stoinis but the third umpire ruled that the ball had bounced before reaching the RR player. Parag, nonetheless, found another opportunity to hold on to Stoinis’ catch in the 20th over. This time, there was no doubt in anybody’s mind about the legality of the catch. But to prove a point, the 20-year-old player decided to indulge in a little bit of theatrics and pretended to touch the ball to the ground. He, however, did not do so and only took the ball as close to the ground as possible.
Many felt that this Parag’s way of mocking the umpires for declaring his earlier catch invalid.
Here’s how netizens slammed the young player for mocking umpires.
One wrote, “Riyan Parag, the cricketer with the worst attitude I’ve ever seen!!” “I have a gut feeling that Riyan Parag will someday drop a very important but easy catch,” wrote another user. One user quoted TV commentator Matthew Hayden as saying, “I gotta advice for you young man Cricket is very very long game we all have very long memories, never ever term fate because it comes around quickly.”
Riyan Parag, the cricketer with the worst attitude I've ever seen!!
— Avinash Sai (@saiavinash160) May 15, 2022
I have a gut feeling that Riyan Parag will someday drop a very important but easy catch
— Titu Mama (@TituTweets_) May 15, 2022
#Haydos to Riyan Parag after the catch celebration "I gotta advice for you youngman Cricket is very very long game we all have very long memories, never ever term fate because it comes around quickly"#RRvsLSG #MathewHayden
— Harry✈? (@Srihari_08) May 15, 2022
However, Parag also found some support from fans, who felt that his critics had gone overboard in slamming a 20-year-old cricketer. One wrote, “Commentators honestly need to stop schooling Riyan Parag. There was nothing remotely wrong with that celebration. Heck, it wasn’t even a celebration.”
Another fan wrote, “Commentators for umpteenth time making a non cricketing comment on Riyan Parag,now Hayden schooling him for his celebration after Stoinis’ wicket.”
You’ll never see these guys schooling someone like Kohli for celebrating or even Warner for his jump celebration.
Commentators honestly need to stop schooling Riyan Parag. There was nothing remotely wrong with that celebration. Heck, it wasn’t even a celebration.
— Sonali (@samtanisonali1) May 15, 2022
Commentators for umpteenth time making a non cricketing comment on Riyan Parag,now Hayden schooling him for his celebration after Stoinis' wicket.
You'll never see these guys schooling someone like Kohli for celebrating or even Warner for his jump celebration.#IPL2022
— Akash Kumar Jha (@Akashkumarjha14) May 15, 2022
Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow by 24 runs in their last match. Trent Boult was declared the Player Of The Match.
