"I Don't Look Up To Any Other Batsman" - Riyan Parag Opens Up On His Admiration For Virat Kohli

Young Indian batter Riyan Parag revealed that ace batter Virat Kohli has always been his inspiration, stating that he looks up to no other batter except him. However, Riyan Parag also admitted that there have been many great batters in international cricket in the modern era.

Riyan Parag made this statement after his 102-run knock against the West Zone in the Deodhar Trophy. The right-handed batsman formed a crucial 150-run partnership with Kumar Kushagra to help his team recover from a collapse and eventually secure a 157-run victory.

Don’t Look Up To Any Other Batsman – Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag expressed his strong connection with Virat Kohli, stating that he often speaks with him and values his suggestions.

“It’s always been Virat Kohli. I don’t look up to any other batsman although there are a lot of great batters in our generation,” Parag told BCCI.

“I just relate a lot to Virat Kohli and I have spoken to him, I speak with him often. He has just got a lot of input that I actually like and I can relate to that person. I like it when he says something, I understand it and he makes me understand it as well,” he added.

Parag was the fourth-leading run-getter in the Deodhar Trophy 2023, scoring 259 runs at an impressive average of 86.33. The 21-year-old has been in exceptional form in domestic cricket, despite failing to impress in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

Minute Details Have Helped Me Tremendously – Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag said that his Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammate, Ravichandran Ashwin, helped him improve his bowling by suggesting a few technical changes.

“Even before the previous game, I was talking to him about the carrom ball…. I was telling him I wasn’t getting pace, I wasn’t getting the amount of turn I wanted with the carrom ball,” he further added.

“So he suggested a few tweaks with the hand position – like the palm facing towards me releasing towards the batsman and I could see the difference instantly. Those minute details have helped me tremendously,” he concluded.

The young spinner picked up nine wickets in four matches with an impressive average of 15.78. He secured two four-fers in the tournament and stood in sixth place among the leading wicket-takers.