Exclusive: This IPL is an important season for me, said Riyan Parag of the Royals-News

After becoming the youngest player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in half a century in 2019, Riyan Parag counts some absolute legends among his admirers.

Since then, the 19-year-old Rajasthan Royals batsman has not really set the stage, IPL has just seen a glimpse of talent.

For a rookie trying to gain a foothold on the big stage, when you only play a few games in most situations, ranking sixth is a huge challenge.

But when Riyan accepted an exclusive interview Khalij Times Before the first game of the Rajasthan Royals against the Punjab Kings on Tuesday, he revealed why he likes these challenges.

Brothers destroy entertainment. #RoyalsFamily | #Harapol | #IPL2021 | Replying to @AtHawkeye | @ParagRian pic.twitter.com/diS54NYmnE

-Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 19, 2021

After training for about 10 days after isolation, you will have your first game on Tuesday. What is your experience in the UAE so far?

It has been smooth. Slowly, all the boys came out of the quarantine area. All the Indian boys did proper practice for nearly 9 days, and we also had a practice match. So everyone seems to be in good shape and adapted to the conditions here. The heat is crazy, it’s actually very hot. It seems to be over 40 degrees. So you know, it’s important to adapt to conditions. The stadium is almost the same as what we got in India. So this should not be a big factor. But yes, I think the boys are really ready for the first game.

What measures did the players take when training in these hot weather conditions?

The heat here is very dry. So we have different measures, we drink more electrolytes and put some cold towels behind our necks. We are trying to save as much energy as possible on the court, even when hitting the ball, we can optimize ourselves when we need it most.

“Which royal is always late?” @ParagRian Start V1be TV with an important question #Harapol | #RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/4BeI527FGn

-Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 16, 2021

You are still very new on this level. So how challenging is it to hit the ball in the sixth position, you have to take off from the first ball?

This is very challenging. No. 6 can be said to be the most difficult position in cricket. This is a huge challenge, but I like challenges. In 6th place, two things usually happen-either we crash and I have to go in the game, like we are four wickets or five wickets behind, or you just get a few rounds. Starting with this word, you have to smash the ball. So I think this is a very difficult position to hit the ball. I have nearly a year and a half, hitting the ball in the IPL from that position. So now I know what to do, what my strengths are, and how I must handle the game in different situations. But then we had a lot of chats in the locker room about the order of the shots. So I hope I can get a boost from this IPL order.

In addition to working on the technical aspects and the powerful shots of the game, do you also imagine the game situation in an online session when you hit the ball?

I’m the kind of cricketer who doesn’t believe in practice. Of course, I practice, but I am not like Steve Smith, you know, he is like a cricket geek, he likes to practice a lot and he likes to hit a lot. I have never been that kind of person. Even if we have online classes, I just do half an hour of batting, half an hour of bowling, and then calm down. I only do other activities.

Mood: Siuuuuuuuuu#MUNNEW | #CR7IsBack pic.twitter.com/X4rsxTfFEM

-Rajasthan Royal Team (@rajasthanroyals) September 11, 2021

So I am very good at visualization. It has now become part of my game. Visualization is my correct practice mode, because I know who I will face, how I will face them, I can imagine different scenarios, I can imagine different situations. I can put myself in different situations. I watched a lot of videos of great chasers like Virat (Kohli) and MS (Dhoni) to see how they deal with stressful situations and how I achieve this in my game, and then you will know what you want Come up with a solution. So visualization is an important part of my game.

You say Steve Smith is a cricket geek. We only saw him in the game. But when he was in the Rajasthan Royals, you saw him in training. How does it feel to see this Australian genius at work?

He is a cricket geek. He plays a lot of balls, he plays a lot of games, he plays a lot of bowling, he always talks about cricket, even when he is off the court, he talks about cricket. Even on the bus, he talked about cricket. So yes, it’s just playing cricket with him. I am definitely not that geek.

Are you satisfied with your progress as a part-time leg rotator?

I have done a lot of work on bowling this year. I don’t think I have shown my full potential as an IPL bowler. I know that I can be a real bowler and can give you three and four points in every game. It’s just that my performance is not very good, my captain gave me three points. So you know this time, whenever I get those passes, I think I need to show my true potential, get those wickets, get those penalties, get those key passes. As the captain of Sanju (Samson), I believe I can also play three or four goals for him.

Last year, you played a short bowling match with Imran Tahir of the Chennai Super Kings in the UAE, and the video went viral on the Internet. When we met him in Dubai this year, he said it was not only about talent, but also about desire. How you want to improve every day to become a better player. Do you also have the opportunity to talk to him on the psychological aspects of the game?

I do not have. This is just about bowling. But then I thought that talent was overestimated. I know that I am not the most talented person, I know that I am not the most fashionable hitter on the track. But I think I have spiritual power. I think this is the most important thing. MS Dhoni is not the most technically sound batter, but he is the greatest finisher in the world. So it all depends on the mental power of this game. This is 75% spirit and 25% skill. So I think with the kind of mentality that I have, the kind of belief in my skills, no matter what skills I have, I think this is that you need to upgrade a level and reach that advanced level instead of just reaching the advanced level, but stay There. For me, this is not playing for India. For me, this is just playing for India, winning games for India, and staying at that level for a long time. So I think this IPL season is an important season for me. Even the domestic season is coming soon. So I think with this mentality, my belief in myself, I think yes, I will go a long way.

Finally, we have to ask you this. You are from Assam, a state that has not produced many top athletes in the past. But now this situation seems to be changing. Athlete Hima Das and boxer Lovlina Borgohain put the state on the world stage. Then you have performed well in IPL, which is the largest franchise alliance in the world. How does it feel to be part of this change, because all of you are now inspiring more young people in your state?

I think this is amazing. These girls, what they did, was amazing. I think this is crazy. What they did, what I did, in my field, in IPL, playing with the best players in the world. I hope that all cricket players in Assam will be motivated and they can also participate in IPL. There are many talents there. Only you know if they can get the mentality that “Yes, even if we can play in the IPL, we can also play for the Indian senior team”, I think we can see more young people and more boards. The ball player from Assam and made it into a big class.

Ritulaj Borkacotti

As a big fan of the Argentine national football team, Rituraj usually writes articles about sports. But he cherishes the time spent in interviews with his favorite musicians from the Indian state of Assam. He likes to bring interesting human stories to the readers of Khaleej Times.