‘I’m Going to Play for India, Don’t Really Care When’: Riyan Parag Confident of Donning the Blue Jersey – News18
Riyan Parag isn’t an unknown name in the IPL circuit. The young all-rounder has been a prominent figure in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) camp since 2019. But the 2024 edition of the tournament witnessed his evolution as a mature batter. With 573 runs and 4 half-centuries in 15 games, Parag made a statement that he rightfully belongs to Indian cricket.
Speaking with news agency PTI, Parag said he has the belief that someday he will be a part of the senior Indian men’s team.
“At some point, you’ll have to take me, right? So that is my belief, I’m going to play for India. I don’t really care when,” Parag was quoted as saying.
“Whether it’s the next tour, whether it’s a tour in six months, whether it’s a tour in one year… I don’t really put my thoughts behind when I should play. That is the selector’s job, that is other people’s job,” he added.
Playing for RR since 2019, Riyan’s totals in five previous seasons made for a sorry reading – 160, 86, 93, 183, 78. But this year was different, perhaps the best so far. He ended the IPL 2024 as the highest scorer for the Royals.
“I had a lot of rough seasons, more than (the) nice ones and I feel having that constant belief in yourself, that you actually belong in this level, that you can actually do things that you (had) dreamt of, has been a constant and that will stay throughout. What you saw this year in the IPL is how I play domestic cricket. I take the onus up to myself, I take the expectations, I take the burden upon myself to deliver and that is why I play the best,” Parag said.
I was not doing that in the IPL. I was taking way too much pressure, keeping my expectations way too high and not doing the basic things right.
“That is what I figured (that) I had to do this year; of playing at my favourite position as well, No 4. I was like, okay, ‘I do this at domestic cricket, this is the same thing I’m going to do in IPL and let’s see how it goes’. It worked out perfectly,” he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
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