"...that is why I play the best": Riyan Parag

I am going to play for India no matter what said Riyan Parag while believing in his abilities and skill setAt some point youll have to take me right So that is my belief Im going to play for India I dont really care when Parag would sound bullish yet confident during his exclusive interaction with PTI on WednesdayNo youngster has polarised opinions in a short span of time as the 22yearold from Assam Riyan Parag accumulated 573 runs at a strike rate of close to 150 while batting at number four for Rajasthan RoyalsIn the last five years in the Indian Premier League Riyan Parag a 2008 U19 World Cup winner didnt enjoy a 200run season Additionally social media was more than enough to pull him downWhen I was not scoring runs I said this in an earlier interview as well that I am going to play for India Parag said on the sidelines of a Red Bull Campus Cricket tournament here on Wednesday a tournament he lauded for giving exposure to talented youngstersAlso Read Dhawal Kulkarni appointed Mumbais bowling mentor for upcoming seasonThat is me believing in myself That is not me being arrogant That is what my plan was with my dad former Railways and Assam player Parag Das when I started playing cricket when I was like 10yearsold We a joint project were going to play for India regardless of anything Ahead of the Zimbabwe tour there are chances for Parag Abhishek Sharma and Harshit Rana to get their maiden national callupWhether its the next tour whether its a tour in six months whether its a tour in one year I dont really put my thought behind when I should play That is the selectors job that is other peoples job Riyan saidHaving understood the flipside of social media the youngster has stopped taking things to heart Youve got to be very quick and very sharp when reacting to things Social media and all of that play a big part with mental pressure Because once you start listening to those things it always starts in a merry way right he askedOnce you start performing people really hype you up Once you start reading that you get that satisfaction of listening to other people or watching other thingsIn the recently concluded IPL 2024 Riyan Parag made the most of the opportunities provided But what Ive figured out in the last year or two is that Ive got to have an undeniable stack of proof that I belong at this level Which means that me practising a lot me practising at that level practising those situations Parag saidThe biggest thing that Ive taken away from the last season is that believing in yourself actually works out because a lot of people say a lot of different things whether its negative whether its positive But at the end of the day what matters is what you think about yourself and that is what Ive been for he saidBeing aware of his poor performances in the previous editions of the IPL Riyan Parag opened up by saying 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 throughoutWhat 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 he saidI 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 rightAdditionally playing at a crucial No 4 slot for RR also worked 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 Im going to do in IPL and lets see how it goes It worked out perfectly he saidRajasthan Royals as a whole had a great IPL 2024 season as they finished third in the league stage But later when they crashed out Riyan acknowledged there is still some disappointment lingering onIm still dealing with it I got back home and I was super sad The night after the game it didnt really sink in But then the day after the match and before the final it was tough he saidIts tough but then thats how cricket goes There are worldclass sides that are playing the tournament worldclass players that are playing the tournament Parag addedWith PTI Inputs