IPL 2024: "I’m Going To Play For Country..." - Riyan Parag Reflects On His India Non-Selection
Published - 17 Jan 2024, 06:48 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:25 AM
Young all-rounder Riyan Parag is confident about representing India in the future. Riyan Parag emphasized that he maintains a focused approach and is concentrating on continuous improvement despite facing the setback of not being selected for the national team.
Riyan Parag has been a consistent performer for his state team in domestic cricket across formats, despite facing criticism for his Indian Premier League (IPL) performances. He recently scored a second consecutive century for Assam in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
The 22-year-old registered seven consecutive half-centuries in the last edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Despite consistent and outstanding achievements, the young cricketer failed to make it to the Indian national team, even in the second-string team.
No One Can Take That Away From Me – Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag emphasized a goal-oriented mindset without setting specific run targets in domestic and IPL matches. He revealed that he chose to abstain from watching cricket on TV, prioritizing discussions with key figures such as his father and Zubin Bharucha.
“I’m going to play for the country sooner or later, that belief is always there. No one can take that away from me. I’m fixated on that. But I don’t have any particular target that I have to get this many runs in Ranji or in the IPL,” Parag said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
“I’m not even watching cricket games on TV. I have been talking to my dad, Zubin Bharucha (Rajasthan Royals’ director of performance), discussing a lot of cricket and analysing my game, how I can improve every day. It takes a lot of time so I don’t have time to watch anything else,” he added.
Maybe I Don’t Have Enough Runs – Riyan Parag
Reflecting on his non-selection, Riyan Parag acknowledged the need for more runs in domestic cricket. Emphasizing a constant pursuit of improvement, Parag remains committed to refining his game.
“I have, actually. Maybe I don’t have enough runs, so fine, I will get more runs. You can only control so many things. Syed Mushtaq Ali (Trophy) was in my control. I could have won us that. Now, it’s the Ranji Trophy. There is always room for improvement. If I get selected, very good. If I don’t, I have got to do that again. There’s only a certain period of time till I can’t get picked. That’s my focus right now,” Parag concluded.
The all-rounder has struggled to make a significant impact in the Indian Premier League since his debut in 2019. The right-handed batter amassed only 600 runs in 54 IPL matches at a subpar average of 16.22 and a strike rate of 129.7, including just two half-centuries.
During the 2023 season, Parag’s performance declined further as he managed only 78 runs in seven innings at an average of 13 and a strike rate of 118.18. Despite these challenges, the Rajasthan Royals have chosen to retain Parag for the upcoming IPL 2024 season.
