Riyan Parag with his mom and dad.
Riyan Parag with his mom and dad. Image Credit: X

The middle order batter, Riyan Parag, debuted for the Indian team during the third and final one-day international game of the ongoing series in Sri Lanka as he replaced Arshdeep Singh in the side. Indian captain Rohit Sharma confirmed the development at the toss after he was asked to chase for the third consecutive time.

Riyan Parag had already made his debut in the shortest format of the game during the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, where he didn’t get a lot of chances. In four innings with the bat, the 22-year-old has notched up 57 runs at a strike rate of nearly 112, with a best score of 26 runs.

He is expected to bat around number five or six in the national side, besides giving a few vital overs of spin if required. He showed great skills with the ball, picking up 3/5 in the T20I game against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.

“It felt surreal to be here and being with you guys”- Riyan Parag

The batter was in superb touch during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) playing for the Rajasthan Royals, as he notched up 573 runs to finish as the third-highest run-getter of the event. Riyan Parag ended with an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of nearly 150, celebrating four half-centuries, besides enjoying the best score of an unbeaten 84-run knock.

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When it comes to List-A cricket, the right-handed batter has smashed 1720 runs in 44 innings, at an average of nearly 42 with a strike rate of over 102, celebrating eight centuries and five half-centuries, besides recording the best score of 174 runs.

The Assam-born looked back at how hard his journey was from junior-level cricket, as he has reached a position where there have been players whom he has idolized over the years.

“Coming from Assam, it was termed impossible for a kid to come here and play with players with you guys and players like whom I have watched and idolized while I was growing up. So, that was the motto when we started. But then me and my dad and my mom made a mission that we are going to make it here.” Riyan Parag expressed to the social media handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Rajasthan Royals batter touched on the emotional part of being part of the same dressing room and traveling in the same hotel with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, whom he had idolized since childhood.

“Once we do, and then we will be like it has been something that has been accomplished. (It) happened in the T20s, and now this has been more emotional for me because I saw people whom I idolized- Rohit bhai, Virat Bhaiyya and now actually being here, practicing, in the dressing room, and sharing the same hotel, being in the same room.” Riyan Parag noted.

The young batter also enlightened the moment when he had a video call with his mother after getting the maiden call-up for the ODI format of the Indian cricket team.

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“All of these feel very surreal. I called my mom when I first got the news, and my mom was in the video call that I had got the ODI call-up. Everyone was crying, but then it was a very emotional experience that I had, and felt surreal to be here, and being with you guys just feels amazing.” Riyan Parag concluded.

India isn’t going to play any 50-over game for the rest of the year, as Parag will hope to carry the same form in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025.