Trivia: The MS Dhoni connection to Riyan Parag and his father Parag Das
Young Indian batter Riyan Parag has been handed his international debut in the first T20I of the five-match series against Zimbabwe in Harare on Saturday, July 6. It was an emotional moment for Riyan as he received his cap from his father Parag Das, a former first-class cricketer.
Apart from being father and son, Das and Riyan also share an interesting MS Dhoni connection. Both have been dismissed by the legendary Indian wicketkeeper and former captain.
During the 1999-00 Ranji Trophy match between Assam and Bihar, Das was stumped by Dhoni in the second innings off Avinash Kumar's bowling in Jamshedpur. Bihar went on to win the game by 191 runs. Das scored 22 and 30 while opening the innings for Assam, while Dhoni contributed 40 and 68*.
Many years later, Riyan was caught by Dhoni in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Royals batted first and put up 151-7 on the board in their 20 overs.
Riyan fell for 16 off 14, caught behind off Shardul Thakur as he looked to heave a short and wide ball outside off. Incidentally, the game also marked the youngster's IPL debut. CSK won the match off the last ball, with four wickets in hand.
Riyan Parag earned an India call-up on the back of an impressive IPL 2024 season
It wouldn't be wrong to say that, over the years, Riyan has been one of the biggest enigmas of the Indian Premier League. Despite being backed by Rajasthan Royals for several seasons, he had failed to deliver.
The 22-year-old, however, finally turned a corner in the 2024 season. He was one of the standout performers for Rajasthan Royals, hammering 573 runs in 15 matches at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.22, with four half-centuries, which included a best of 84*.
As for Riyan's father Das, the 47-year-old played 43 first-class matches and 32 List-A games, scoring 1936 and 575 runs respectively. He also picked up 36 first-class scalps and 17 List-A wickets with his medium pace.