When Riyan Parag first arrived on the scene, he was known more for his unabashed expression of opinions on social media than for his batting. But then came a “good 10-15 minutes” of advice from the great Virat Kohli, and things changed for the better.
From facing criticism for speaking his mind instead of delivering drab cliches in media interaction or on social media, the 22-year-old player from Assam is now staking a claim for India selection with stellar performances this IPL season.
On asking Kohli for advice, Parag told JioCinema, “In my second year, I was having a bad phase in the IPL. I was discussing with him on how to get out of that phase and how he used to handle similar situations, so I can learn from his experience as well.
“He gave me a good 10-15 minutes of his time and shared a few things with me, I think that really helped me.”
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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.
Besides Kohli, Parag has also learned a lot from another cricket legend Rahul Dravid, who was previously associated with the RR franchise.
“I learnt a lot. Cricket-wise, we know he’s one of the best in the business, one of the greatest cricketers of our time.
“Outside cricket, how we should conduct ourselves, get involved with the crowd, social media, and how to generally present ourselves outside of cricket, is something I learnt a lot about, from him.”
Speaking about his maiden season in the IPL in 2019, Parag said the feeling was surreal when he first went out to bat, in a match against Chennai Super Kings with the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni standing a few feet from the newcomer.
“It was a surreal feeling. I don’t really remember how I was exactly feeling but I was nervous for sure. Playing against CSK, going in to bat, with Dhoni behind the wicket, was a surreal moment for sure, I’ll never forget that. I was more excited than nervous and enjoyed every bit of it.”
On his role in the team, Parag added, “I think my role in the first year is one of my favourite roles to play in T20 cricket. Batting in the middle order, chipping in with a couple of overs, and being exceptional in the field.
“I’ve always considered myself an all-rounder, it’s just about going into the IPL and executing all of that, which I did in the domestic season.”
Parag considers himself lucky that he is currently getting to train under RR’s director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara.
“He’s a wonderful coach. He lets players do everything. I know he’s got his tactics behind all the noise, but he lets his players express themselves.”
Finally, when the discussion turned to handling social media criticism, he had this to say, “I keep it very simple. If I have an opinion on something, I share it on social media. But I am not waiting for people in my social media to have their opinions, and then going through their opinions. I share my opinion and say what I want to say, but that’s it.”
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