From heavy trolling to the most deserving: Riyan Parag is the first male cricketer from Assam to play for India

India’s T20I line-up will herald a new era with the tour of Zimbabwe, which begins in Harare on Saturday. Stalwarts Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja hung up their boots after winning the T20 World Cup, handing over the baton to young guns who have already proven their worth on the domestic circuit. Riyan Parag from Assam is one of the Gen-Next stars hoping to follow in their footsteps after becoming the first male cricketer from the state to play for the country.

Assam does have an international cricket stadium but is yet to produce an international player. But Riyan wrote a new chapter in the history of Indian cricket and became the first player from the North East to play for the country when the youngsters in blue took the field against Zimbabwe.

It has been quite a journey for Riyan since he played for India at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. The following year, he burst into the Rajasthan Royals dressing room and over the years has become a key cog in the RR line-up.

Also read: Riyan’s first reaction after first call-up for India

Despite showing potential, Riyan has been heavily criticized on social media every time he fails. The 22-year-old may not have played international cricket but is among the most trolled cricketers in the country, especially when he plays in the IPL.

However, his parents made sure that their son was not bothered by the social police.

Riyan’s father Parag Das, himself a former first-class cricketer, says it was not difficult for the family to keep his son out of the online comments as the young boy knows what to do.

“For us it was easy. In fact, we had talked about this trolling a few years ago. So I asked him a question which I knew the answer to but I wanted to hear it from Riyan. I asked him what he would do about this endless trolling. He said, ‘Dad, what am I doing wrong? I have not done anything and yet this is the situation. What if I had done something’,” Das told CricketNext in an exclusive chat during IPL 2024.

“That was the answer I wanted to hear from him. When the audience criticizes you, it means they expect you to perform. He only made the fans expect from him and if he didn’t perform, they would definitely criticize him. I asked him to think about how he could get those accolades back and performing was the only key to that,” he added.

The urge to improve motivated Riyan to get the best out of himself. The previous national season was proof of the steps he took.

He had a great run and finished the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 as the top run-getter; with 510 runs at a strike rate of 182.79. He also picked up 11 wickets.

Playing for East Zone in the Deodhar Trophy, he smashed 354 runs in five matches, the most in the tournament, besides taking 11 wickets. He carried his form into the Ranji Trophy as well, where he amassed 378 runs at an average of 75.60 in four matches, including two centuries.

Riyan was in the same zone going into IPL 2024. His fierce form earned him the Orange Cap in the first few matches, while he finished the season as the highest scorer for his team and third overall. He scored 573 runs at a strike rate of 149.22 in what was his best IPL season with the bat in hand.

A few media reports even claimed that the youngster would be considered for the T20 World Cup, but that was not to be. He would eventually get the national call-up for the Zimbabwe series that starts on July 6 in Harare.

In a special media event facilitated by Sony Sports Network, former Indian cricketer and selector Saba Karim said Riyan has a strong character and will definitely do well if given an opportunity.

“I think he is a very balanced guy. I actually expected him to do well in the last IPL of 2023 because he had a fantastic domestic season before that. Unfortunately, for some reason, he could not perform to his potential,” Karim said in response to News18 CricketNext’s question.

“I am very happy that he has been able to convert his domestic form into IPL form this season as well. He has a solid base now. I think he comes from a very, very stable environment and I think all that will help him overcome all the obstacles that he has faced in his life so far in terms of social media trolling.

“And he is such a strong character. The fact that he is still focused on his game and not worried about external factors that are beyond his control shows what kind of character he has. And if he can continue in the same way, I am sure he will do well when he gets the chance to play for India,” he added.