"We opened our jerseys together" - Riyan Parag on making India debut alongside Abhishek Sharma against Zimbabwe

All-rounder Riyan Parag has opened up on how special it was for him to make his India debut alongside Abhishek Sharma in the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The Men in Blue dished out an emphatic performance, taking the series 4-1.

Riyan revealed that Abhishek and he opened their Indian jerseys together for the first time. He spoke about their appearance together at the 2018 U19 World Cup and shed light on the camaraderie that they share.

Riyan Parag told the host broadcaster after the game:

"We opened our jerseys together. I went to his (Abhishek's) room, he opened it first and then I did. We played the 2018 WC together and next 6 years we did not play. Doing it with him was pretty special."

Abhishek Sharma scored 124 runs in the series at an impressive strike rate of 174.64 with a sensational hundred in the second T20I. He also chipped in with a couple of wickets with his left-arm spin. Riyan, meanwhile, scored just 24 runs in the three matches he played.

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Riyan Parag on stand-in captain Shubman Gill

Riyan Parag also praised stand-in skipper Shubman Gill's leadership in the series. The Men in Blue lost the first T20I and Riyan was proud of how Gill marshaled his troops and how they responded to the situation to win the remaining four games.

"After the 1st game everyone woke up and we were clinical after that. Really proud of the boys and enjoyed it to the max. It has been fun, we have played age group together, under 16. He (Gill) has been like a captain even when he was not captain. In the field he has been exceptional," Parag said in the same interview.

India posted a competitive 167-run total, thanks to a fine half-century from Sanju Samson. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, couldn't get any momentum going in their innings as they were bundled out for 125, losing the final T20I by 42 runs.

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