Parag Riyan, who has done very well for Rajasthan Royals this year in the Indian Premier League, will be making his debut for Team India in the forthcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Parag from Assam was first called up to play for India; he wants to inspire more cricketers from his region.
The T20I series starts on July 6th at Harare Sports Club and features Shubman Gill as captain of the side led by former NCA head VVS Laxman.The latter would come straight from a USA trip.Giving an interview to ESPN Cricinfo, Riyan Parag spelled out his vision of developing a different mentality among Assamese people so that aspiring players can have guidelines.
“I believe that people from my state have very low opinions of themselves. And I want this changed; I want to wear India blue. And once I do that, they would know it is possible even for someone coming from a small state like Assam to play for their national team,” he stated.
Parag attributed his success during IPL 2023 and beyond to hard work and determination. “In 2023 IPL season, I worked towards improving my game. In tough conditions, I left my comfort zone training at Rajasthan Royal’s Academy. All these sacrifices were worth it.” He remarked
In both IPL and domestic cricket Parag has been exceptional with the bat. His average was over fifty-two (57) runs with a scoring rate surpassing hundred and forty nine per cent (149%) in sixteen games played during IPL season. This batting form aided RR into playoffs throughout which he did not disappoint them either.His 510 runs in ten matches in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy had an average of eighty-five (85) with corresponding strike rate reaching one hundred eighty two point seven nine percent (182.79%).
Parag talked about dealing with challenges such as online trolling and criticism. “I decided to shut down the noise and focus on my game,” he stated. “I knew I could not change what some people thought about me, but I had control over my performance and commitment.”
Parag also thanked RR’s head coach Kumar Sangakkara as well as captain Sanju Samson for their support. “Sangakkara would make things easier for me; he was always there when it came to my growth process. And Sanju bhaiyya is a close friend of mine now, who gave me the opportunity to be included in that leadership group. I became more confident because of that” said Parag.
