RR all-rounder Shanaka hails "great leader in the making" Parag ahead of eliminator against SRH

Rajasthan will continue their fight for the second Indian Premier League (IPL) title when they take on SRH in the eliminator, with the winner battling Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Qualifier two for a spot in the title clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

It has been a rocky road for RR so far, as after starting with four successive wins, they lost four out of their next six. In their final four clashes, they won and lost two each, sealing their playoff spot on the final day with a victory in a must-win clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI).

The inconsistent show of the batters and team overall, which has contributed to RR's patchy form, has put Riyan's captaincy under question a lot of times. The RR skipper himself has not done a lot of justice with the bat either, scoring just 272 runs in 12 innings with two fifties at an average of 24.72 and a strike rate of above 152.

Speaking about Parag in the pre-match presser, Shanaka said, "Riyan is a young captain. He is learning as well. He has done a wonderful job as a captain this year. Many people criticise him, but I feel he is a great leader in the making, both for RR and Team India."

In the presence of fellow Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara as the team's head coach, Shanaka highlighted his experience and how he maintains a sense of calm in the changing room.

"The impact of Sanga, he has been around the team for five to six years. He knows how to help each individual. He has kept a calm environment in the dressing room. The experience he has is immense. He is a World Cup-winning player and captained the national team for many years. He is doing a good job for us," he said.

Shanaka also praised 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has 583 runs so far at an average of 41.64 and a strike rate of 232.27, including a century and three fifties so far, but failed to score big against five-time champions MI in a must-win match, scoring just four runs.

The SL all-rounder hailed Sooryavanshi for his professionalism, his behaviour in the dressing room and is optimistic that the team has match winners who can do the job when the young opener fails.

"We could not get the start we wanted from Vaibhav (vs MI), but we have got a lot of match winners on our side. In future games, if Vaibhav fails, there will be a lot of players to do the job. He is very professional. It is not about getting runs or failing. How he practices, behaves in the dressing room, stays cool. I have not seen a kid behaving like him in the changing room. He is very cool, even though seniors get under pressure sometimes. I like how he is coping with things. I see a lot of potential in him," Shanaka signed off. (ANI)