Interaction with Virat Kohli really helped me during bad phase: Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag is slowly turning his haters into his fans with consistent performances for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He recently revealed that an interaction with Virat Kohli helped him during his bad phase in his second season. Parag made his IPL debut in 2019. He said when he was going through a tough time in his second season, a 15-minute conversation with Kohli helped him.

"In my second year, I was having a bad phase in the IPL. I was discussing with him on how to get out of that phase and how he used to handle similar situations, so I can learn from his experience as well. He gave me a good 10-15 minutes of his time and shared a few things with me, I think that really helped me," the Assan captain told JioCinema.

The 22-year-old is the third-highest run-getter in the ongoing IPL 2024. He has slammed 318 runs from seven games at an average of 63.80 and a strike rate of 161.42. Parag has scored three fifties so far and is pushing his case for a spot in the Indian team in the days to come.

Parag also said that apart from Kohli, he learned a lot from current India head coach Rahul Dravid, who was previously associated with Rajasthan Royals.

"I learnt a lot. Cricket-wise, we know he's one of the best in the business, one of the greatest cricketers of our time. Outside cricket, how we should conduct ourselves, get involved with the crowd, social media, and how to generally present ourselves outside of cricket, is something I learnt a lot about, from him," he said.

Also Read: 'In the last two innings, it seemed like he was going too hard too soon' - Aakash Chopra on Riyan Parag ahead of RR's clash with MI

'It was a surreal feeling' - Riyan Parag on batting in front of legendary MS Dhoni

Parag reminisced the first time he batted in front of the legendary MS Dhoni during an encounter between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in 2019. He said that he was more excited than nervous during the occasion.

"It was a surreal feeling. I don't really remember how I was exactly feeling but I was nervous for sure. Playing against CSK, going in to bat, with Dhoni behind the wicket, was a surreal moment for sure, I'll never forget that. I was more excited than nervous and enjoyed every bit of it," Parag recalled.

Also Read: 'I have never seen him that angry' - Suresh Raina shares an unseen side of MS Dhoni

Parag would love to get past Virat Kohli's current tally of 379 runs from eight games and reclaim the Orange Cap when he returns to action during the Rajasthan Royals versus Mumbai Indians clash on Monday, April 22.