The stage is set for Assam’s Riyan Parag’s potential debut against Zimbabwe when a young India team, led by Shubhman Gill, faces an equally young Zimbabwean side led by the experienced Sikandar Raza in a five-match T20 series at Harare starting tomorrow in the Match one of the series.
Parag, who dominated the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League with 573 runs in 16 matches, scoring 4 half-centuries, will look to repeat his IPL performance and cement his place in the Indian side.
Parag made his IPL debut in 2019 when Rajasthan Royals picked him at a base price of Rs 20 lakh. Despite the team’s faith in him, Parag failed to deliver in the last 4 seasons. However, the swashbuckling all-rounder from Assam was in a league of his own this season, having smashed 7 consecutive 50s in the domestic T20 season and following it up with his stellar IPL performance.
Riding high on his stellar IPL 2024 performance, Parag was included in the Zimbabwe team alongside a number of other fresh faces as the BCCI decided to rest several of its senior players who were part of the T20 World Cup-winning side.
What would Riyan Parag’s probable role be in the Playing XI?
In the IPL, Parag mostly batted at number 4, anchoring the middle phase of Rajasthan Royals’ innings and then accelerating towards the end. Prior to IPL 2024, only the attacking side of Riyan Parag was known to all. However, in 2024, his cool and composed nature was also on full display, and the team will expect a similar approach from the 22-year-old when he dons the Indian Blue.
If the main Indian bowlers go for a hammering, then captain Shubhman Gill is certain to look to Parag, expecting an economical bowling performance from him. So far, Parag has claimed 41 T20 wickets in 114 T20 games at an average of 30.04, with the best bowling performance of 3/9.
Riyan Parag is on the cusp of making history, not just for Assam but for the entire northeast, and all eyes will be glued to the television screens tomorrow. A billion cricket fans from the region will be praying for Parag to leave his mark on the biggest stage and inspire several others to dream big so that they can also don the Indian jersey someday.
