Rajasthan Royals teenager Riyan Parag who is the youngest member of the Rajasthan Royals squad this season has spoken about his feelings when he was playing against Chennai Super Kings and his childhood idol MS Dhoni. He stated that it was ‘surreal’ for him to play against a person who he has always idolized while growing up.
Riyan Parag played a match-winning knock of 43 of 29 deliveries against the Mumbai Indians yesterday which saw his side through. He shared a great partnership with his skipper Steve Smith and ensured Rajasthan Royals chased the target down with moderate ease in the end. During a post-match interaction with teammate Jaydev Unadkat, Riyan Parag said how it felt to be involved in IPL at such a young age and rubbing shoulders with his idols.
A picture of Riyan Parag with MS Dhoni when he was just 6 years old is doing the round on social media circle and Jaydev Unadkat asked him about the story behind the photo. He revealed that he was just six or seven years old when the picture was taken. Riyan Parag also added that he has been a great MS Dhoni fan since he was just 6-7 years and it was just surreal bowling to him and batting when he was keeping behind.
“I was six or seven years old at the time that picture was taken. I’ve been idolising Dhoni since I was 6-7 years old and now bowling to him, setting the field against him, even batting while he was keeping behind, it’s just surreal.
“Watching the IPL for the last five-six years and now being a part of it, being a part of Rajasthan Royals and contributing to my team. It feels surreal. I feel grateful to Rajasthan for picking me and grateful to god,” Parag said.
From Dhoni's fanboy to match winner: Riyan's beautiful IPL journey
From a viral picture with @msdhoni to his love for soft toys, @JUnadkat finds the innocent side of @ParagRiyan! By @Moulinparikh. @rajasthanroyals #RRvMI
Watch the full video – https://t.co/UAnhLj501L pic.twitter.com/xC43Wn5ToA
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 21, 2019
Meanwhile coming back to the match, it was Steve Smith who played a match-winning knock to get his side over the line. He was supported quite brilliantly by the 17-year-old who has so much promise. Steve Smith was handed over the reins just a few hours before the match. Meanwhile, Smith had said that Parag is a quick learner ahead of the clash against Mumbai Indians and the youngster proved it in that match itself.
The 70 runs partnership between the dup proved to be the difference between the two sides in the end. Smith had said that Parag is a smart player and has played with freedom whenever he has been handed match opportunities.
“He is calm, cool and composed. In the previous matches, he had batted the same way. He works very hard, and is a big and strong young kid. He came out and played with that freedom, saw the ball and hit the ball. He did not worry about anything and just played the game,” Steve Smith said.
Rajasthan Royals will meet the Delhi Capitals in their next game tomorrow. Every match for Rajasthan Royals is a virtual knockout for them after already losing 6 matches in the tournament so far. Meanwhile one of the most integral parts of RR, Jos Buttler has already left for England to prepare himself for the 2019 World Cup.