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Riyan Parag, the full of life Rajasthan Royals all-rounder, is just 21. He has but to characteristic for his nation, has not been on the fringes of nationwide choice both, but he’s among the many most trolled cricketers within the nation, particularly through the IPL when his social-media platform shares simply shoot up.

He can not perceive the explanation for this obsession. “People have a problem with me chewing gum. If my collar is up that’s a problem. I celebrate after taking a catch that’s a problem. They have a problem with me gaming and playing golf in my off time,” he tells The Indian Express. A hefty price-tag (Royals acquired him for Rs 3.8 crore) doesn’t assist.

The cricketer from Assam causes: “I have an idea why people hate me. There is a rulebook about how you should play cricket. The T-shirt should be tucked in, the collar should be down, give respect to everyone, don’t sledge anyone, and I am completely the opposite.”

Superb Grab! 👏

Riyan Parag takes an excellent diving catch to dismiss Washington Sundar.

East Zone preventing again onerous.

Live Stream 📺 – https://t.co/CpJgKT71lK

Follow the match – https://t.co/5eKGBMVQ9b#DeodharTrophy | #Final | #SZvEZ pic.twitter.com/sSaBnhHc7o

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) August 3, 2023

He explains his actions too: “I started playing cricket because it is fun and I am still playing cricket for the fun part. People can’t digest that I am playing on such a big level, and I am enjoying it. People think I am not grateful.”

There have been occasions when his mom had questioned about her son’s haters. “My only advice to her is this is going to happen regardless of whether I do well or bad. I have told her to stay off Instagram and Facebook. They do go through trauma but I don’t think anyone cares about it,” he says. His father, although, understands him.

Troll-immunity

Nonetheless, he has reached such a stage when he now not cares about criticism, when he has developed a troll-immunity. “I have stopped thinking about all this. No matter what you do, people are going to have a problem with me,” he says.

Some of his critics through the lean IPL 2023 (78 runs in 7 video games) have turn out to be his admirers throughout his Deodhar Trophy revival, the place was the very best run-getter with 354 runs in 5 video games, together with two a whole lot and a valiant 95 within the last towards South Zone, other than 11 wickets, ample numbers to be adjudged the participant of the match.

But Parag is cautious of the newfound followers. “I had a decent Deodhar Trophy, and now people are saying what a talent. Tomorrow I will fail in one game and people are going to talk s**t about me. There is no point giving a thought to those faceless trolls. No one has come down to me and told me their exact problem with me,” he says.

But trolls and memes will not be going to vary the participant or particular person that he’s. “I am going to play the way I know; either they can join the wagon or they can oppose it. I am not really concerned about it,” he asserts.

He explains his outlook in direction of life and social media. ”I’m the sort of man who likes to share his opinion, get pleasure from my cricket and I’m not going to vary. I’ve been clear that I don’t care about what folks say on social media,” he says.

Kohli’s recommendation

But through the robust occasions within the IPL, he sounded out the recommendation of his idol, Virat Kohli, whose image he has put as WhatsApp profile image. “Mai puri baat nahi bata paunga (I cannot tell you the exact conversation). He told me ‘something that has worked for half a year cannot be wrong after a few failures. What happens in the IPL is that the tournament goes on so fast that after failing in two games, you start to question yourself. Everyone makes mistakes and I have made tons of them. Two-three games don’t go your way and you feel (the need) to change your process and work ethic,” he says.

“It was him telling me that ‘take the reality check and accept that this is a bad phase but it doesn’t mean that you need to change the process that has been working for you’,” he provides.

Unaffected by his poor string of scores or the picture on social media, he’s channeling all his vitality into enhancing his sport. In the final couple of seasons, he says, he has matured rather a lot. “I have worked a lot on my batting. I am trying to take the game deep. I have become more mature on and off the field. I have done a lot of bowling as well. I think a lot of work has been put into my skill, and the results are showing now. I think I was a little reckless a few years back. Now I am learning the tricks of the trade,” he says, including that ‘the largest problem for any cricketer is consistency.”

He needs to be a greater finisher too. “Finishing is a tough job. You have to master it. I wanted to do better last IPL, but then it’s how it is. I think the team understands that, I think everyone who knows the game understands that. But the fans won’t notice the technicalities. Going down at No 6 and No 7, there is the challenge to hit it out of the park from ball one. It’s a thankless job,” he says.

In 54 IPL video games, Parag has managed solely 600 runs, however he admits he has been an underachiever. “A cricketer who is motivated to play for the country is always going to think that he has underperformed. Last night, I was out on 95 and I still think that I could have won the game,” he says.

Buoyed by his return to kind, he hopes to indicate his true prowess within the subsequent IPL. “There is going to be something that they have seen in me during practice or in the nets, or in the domestic season. There’s no other reason for them to back me. It’s not a free opportunity that they are giving me. There is a reason they are sticking with me and hopefully, I can show that in the next season,” he says.

Though he’s seen as a bits and items entity, he considers himself a “proper” all-rounder. “I consider myself a proper all-rounder. I know those who watch IPL think I am not an all-rounder. But those who follow domestic cricket know how many overs I bowl in the Ranji Trophy. I can tell you I am 100 percent, a proper all-rounder,” he says.

He was upset that he didn’t bowl a single ball within the final IPL. “I was bowling in the practice game and in the nets. I don’t know why I didn’t bowl. I don’t know the team’s thoughts,” he says.

Young Riyan Parag about Virat Kohli pic.twitter.com/HTxIncU922

— Don Cricket 🏏 (@doncricket_) August 3, 2023

He, although, has one of many best brains to choose from, that of Ravi Ashwin. He particulars their discussions: “The talk with him has always been to assess the situation and what to bowl in what circumstance.He bowls a lot of variations but doesn’t bowl it all the time. I have tried to pick his brains on the carrom ball, how to get more revs on the ball, the top spin and other stuff, in fact about all the minute details of the bowling. He has been patient with all my queries.”

Parag, who performed within the U-19 World Cup-winning staff in 2018, needs to emulate his then teammates Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Mavi and characterize the nation. But he is aware of the difficulties too. “That they are playing for the country is motivating in a positive way. But then there’s a thing, it’s about where you bat as well, what type of role you have been given. My role is completely different from anyone from my batch, who has played for the country. I bat at No 6 or 7, even in this Deodhar Trophy I was batting at 6. That’s a whole different ball game. There is no real comparison. I have not seen anyone from my batch playing at 6 or 7 for the country,” says Parag. But the tribe of finishers within the nation thinly-populated, his days couldn’t be distant, offered he sustains his wealthy vein of kind in home cricket.