"Four texts after the game, that's all I want" - How Ben Stokes inspired Riyan Parag to shut outside noise during IPL
Young Indian sensation Riyan Parag has had the opportunity to rub shoulders with some absolute world-class players at the Rajasthan Royals in his brief career so far. England's star Ben Stokes was one of those players who he has learnt a lot from as he opened up on an incident.
The youngster spoke about an IPL game where Stokes was neither effective with the ball nor with the bat and was booed by the crowd. Parag probably thought that the scrutiny would have affected Stokes.
However, on The Ranveer Show podcast, Riyan Parag revealed that the conversation with Ben Stokes helped him gain perspective on whose opinion should matter:
"He (Stokes) opened his WhatsApp. He showed me texts from his wife, his mother, his dad and one of his close friends. He said, 'Four texts after the game, that's all I want. These people are the ones who can have opinions about me and regardless of how I play, they are going to tell me that they love me'."
Riyan Parag, who has withstood criticism from fans, said that the conversation with Stokes helped him filter out the outside noise and focus only on his loved ones.
I know I'm going to play for India: Riyan Parag
Royan Parag's self-confidence has often divided opinions in the cricketing fraternity, and that's one of the main reasons why he is such a polarising figure.
However, he believes that it's his confidence and not arrogance that he will play for the Indian team one day, telling Sportskeeda recently in an exclusive chat:
"See the thing is I know I’m gonna play for India. I said it back then, and I still say it, regardless of how long it takes, whether it’s the next tour in July, whether it’s six months, whether it’s a year, I’m going to play for India, that’s my belief. That’s not me being arrogant at all. I don’t really care when I’m going to play, because I know I’m gonna play."
Riyan Parag had an incredible IPl 2024 season, scoring 573 runs in 15 games at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.22 with four half-centuries. His domestic performances in the build-up to the season also suggest that the youngster's India dream may not be too far away.