When Riyan Parag first came on the field, he was more known for expressing his outspoken opinions on social media than his batting. But then came a “good 10-15 minutes” advice from the great Virat Kohli and things changed for the better. From facing criticism for speaking his mind instead of giving rambling speeches in media interactions or on social media, the 22-year-old from Assam is now staking a claim for selection in India with impressive performances in this IPL season .
Asked for advice from Kohli, Parag told GeoCinema, “In my second year, I was going through a bad phase in the IPL. I was discussing with him how to come out of that phase and how he would have handled similar situations. So I can learn from their experience too.
“He gave me 10-15 minutes of his time and shared some things with me, I think that really helped me.” Rajasthan Royals’ Parag has been in top form this season, and is currently third in the list of highest run-scorers with 318 runs in seven matches.
Apart from Kohli, Parag has also learned a lot from another cricket legend Rahul Dravid, who was previously associated with the RR franchise.
“I learned a lot. Cricket-wise, we know he is one of the best in the business, one of the greatest cricketers of our time.”
“Outside of cricket, how we should conduct ourselves, how to connect with the crowd, how to present ourselves on social media and generally outside of cricket, is something I have learned a lot about from him. ” Speaking about his first season in the IPL in 2019, Parag said that when he walked out to bat for the first time, in the match against Chennai Super Kings, it was surreal to have the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni standing just a few feet away from the newcomer. The feeling was real.
“It was an unreal feeling. I don’t really remember how I was feeling, but I was definitely nervous. Playing against CSK, going out to bat, with Dhoni behind the wicket, definitely It was a surreal moment, I’ll never forget it. I was more excited than nervous and I enjoyed every moment of it.” Talking about his role in the team, Parag said, “I think my role in the first year is one of my favorite roles in T20 cricket. Batting in the middle order, contributing a few overs and performing exceptionally.” Field.
“I have always considered myself an all-rounder, it’s just about going into the IPL and executing all the things I did in the domestic season.” Parag considers himself lucky that he is currently getting the opportunity to train from RR Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara.
“He’s an amazing coach. He lets the players do everything. I know he has his own strategy behind all the noise, but he lets his players express themselves.” Finally, when the discussion turned to dealing with social media criticism, he said, “I keep it very simple. If I have an opinion on something, I share it on social media. But I Not waiting for people.” The media puts forth their opinion, and then based on their opinion I share my opinion and say what I want to say, but that’s all.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article
