New Delhi: When Riyan Parag first arrived on the scene, he was known more for his unabashed expression of opinions on social media than for his batting. But then came a “good 10-15 minutes” of advice from the great Virat Kohli, and things changed for the better.
From facing criticism for speaking his mind instead of delivering drab cliches in media interaction or on social media, the 22-year-old player from Assam is now staking a claim for India selection with stellar performances this IPL season.
On asking Kohli for advice, Parag told JioCinema, “In my second year, I was having a bad phase in the IPL. I was discussing with him on how to get out of that phase and how he used to handle similar situations, so I can learn from his experience as well. “He gave me a good 10-15 minutes of his time and shared a few things with me, I think that really helped me.”
Besides Kohli, Parag has also learned a lot from another cricket legend Rahul Dravid, who was previously associated with the RR franchise.
“I learnt a lot. Cricket-wise, we know he’s one of the best in the business, one of the greatest cricketers of our time. “Outside cricket, how we should conduct ourselves, get involved with the crowd, social media, and how to generally present ourselves outside of cricket, is something I learnt a lot about, from him.”
Speaking about his maiden season in the IPL in 2019, Parag said the feeling was surreal when he first went out to bat, in a match against Chennai Super Kings with the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni standing a few feet from the newcomer. “It was a surreal feeling. I don’t really remember how I was exactly feeling but I was nervous for sure. Playing against CSK, going in to bat, with Dhoni behind the wicket, was a surreal moment for sure, I’ll never forget that. I was more excited than nervous and enjoyed
every bit of it.”