I've tried imitating the stance of Virat Kohli, Smriti Mandhana and Rohit Sharma: Riyan Parag

One of the exciting prospects of Indian cricket– Riyan Parag– hogged the headlines after he was picked by Rajasthan Royals for INR 20 lakhs for IPL 2019. He ensured that he made his presence felt in the cash-rich league as he smashed a 31-ball 47 to steer Royals to a three-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders.

In his debut IPL season, Parag scored 160 runs in five innings with a strike rate of 127. The youngster also scored a 50 against Delhi Capitals to become the youngest ever player to smash a half-century in the history of the tournament.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, the Rajasthan Royals youngster opened about cricketers who have inspired him along with his experience of donning the jersey for Rajasthan Royals. He revealed that it was a dream come true when Royals signed him. According to Parag, IPL is one of the biggest cricket leagues and it was a surreal feeling after being picked up by Royals.

“When the Royals signed me, I feel it was a dream come true and I was delighted because the IPL is one of the cricket’s biggest leagues in the world. Getting picked by the Royals, the inaugural season winners, was a surreal feeling,” said the youngster.

‘Tried Rohit Sharma’s stance because he is so elegant’: Riyan Parag

Parag also revealed that he has been inspired by many players in his career and he has even tried copying their stance. The youngster said that he played with Virat Kohli’s stance for a while before trying to copy Smriti Mandhana’s stance. Parag had also tried replicating Rohit Sharma‘s stance due to the Indian opener’s elegance. However, Parag is sticking to basics and he has been working on his own stance at the moment.

“I think played a lot with Virat Kohli’s stance, played U-19 World Cup as well, that worked out pretty well. I tried to copy Smriti Mandhana too but that didn’t really work out well, I couldn’t adjust the timing and stuff like that. At some point of time I must have tried Rohit Sharma’s stance because he is so elegant, that didn’t work out either. So, I am back to basics and back to my own stance,” revealed Parag.

Parag also sais that his ultimate dream is to play for the national side and he is just going with the flow until he dons the Indian jersey. Parag expressed that he’s just waiting for an opportunity to knock at the door for grabbing it and making the most out of it.

“There has only been one dream and that’s playing for senior Indian Team. Other than that I just want to go with the flow. I have had a decent IPL and a senior domestic season under my belt. I am just waiting for any opportunity that comes my way and I want to grab it and make it as big as I can,” said Parag.