[Watch] Debutant Riyan Parag gets maiden T20I cap from his father Parag Das in IND vs ZIM 1st T20I
Debutant Riyan Parag received his maiden T20I cap from his father, a former first-class player from Assam, Parag Das ahead of the first T20I between India and Zimbabwe in Harare on Saturday, July 6. Parag earned his national call following his exploits for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2024.
The right-hander amassed 573 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 149.22, including four half-centuries in his breakthrough IPL season.
In a video shared by official broadcaster Sony Sports Network on X, Parag was seen getting his cap from his father. They captioned the post:
“A moment to cherish forever. @ParagRiyan was handed his first #TeamIndia cap by his proud father.”
Watch the clip below:
Parag Das, 47, has represented Assam in 43 first-class and 32 List-A games. He scored 1936 and 575 runs in the two formats, respectively, comprising one century and 18 fifties. With the ball, he also scalped 53 wickets.
Das was once dismissed by MS Dhoni during the 1999-2000 Ranji Trophy game between Assam and Bihar. The former India captain has also dismissed Riyan in IPL 2019.
“This is the day Riyan played cricket for” – Riyan Parag’s father on his national call
Riyan Parag’s father Parag Das recently lauded his son for earning the national call. The latter labeled him an introverted person when enquired about Riyan’s reaction to earning a spot in the T20I side. Parag Das told India.com:
“Whatever dream and aim we had from the start, it got fulfilled today. This is the day Riyan played cricket for."
“He is pretty normal. He doesn’t react much. It’s impossible to get a reaction from Riyan as he doesn’t express much. He likes to keep his feelings within himself," he added.
Riyan Parag made his IPL debut for RR but failed to live up to expectations till 2023. The all-round turned things around to help the Royals reach the playoffs of the IPL 2024 season. Overall, the 22-year-old has 1173 runs in 69 IPL games, comprising six fifties. The part-time leg-spinner has also bagged four wickets.
Follow the IND vs ZIM 1st T20I live score and updates here.