'Riyan Parag will be next big thing...,' Rajasthan Royals fielding coach makes a bold prediction

All-rounder Riyan Parag played a sensational knock of 174 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarterfinals to register his highest score in List A cricket. Riyan’s brilliance with the bat earned him plaudits from several quarters at that point in time. Former Rajasthan Ranji team skipper Dishant Yagnik has now lavished huge praise on Riyan. Dishant, the current fielding coach of the Rajasthan Royals franchise, has opined that the Assam-born cricketer will surely do wonders for the Indian cricket team in the shortest format of the game.

“Remember my words-: Riyan Parag will be next big thing in T20 format for India in coming years,” the tweet read.

Riyan, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has so far scored 522 runs at a strike rate of 124.88 in the domestic T20 tournament. The 21-year-old has two half centuries to his name in IPL.

Riyan recently guided Assam to the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy after pulling off an incredible knock of 174. Riyan scored 174 off just 116 deliveries as Assam reached the target of 351 with 23 balls to spare. Assam’s dream run at the Vijay Hazare Trophy came to an end in the semi-finals after they were beaten by Maharashtra.

Overall, Riyan has scored 1455 runs at a strike rate of 133.24 after playing 81 matches in T20 cricket so far. Riyan also has 11 half-centuries under his belt in this format.

Riyan made his debut in T20 cricket against Jharkhand in January 2017 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. In first-class cricket, Riyan played his first match months later against Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy.

A year later, he emerged as a key member of India’s World Cup-winning squad. Riyan, at the age of 16, played a crucial role in India’s U-19 World Cup victory in 2018. In 2019, Riyan was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals franchise.

Riyan is currently playing in the Ranji Trophy fixture against Saurashtra. He produced a crucial knock of 76 in the first innings of the encounter and helped Assam in reaching a formidable total of 286. Riyan slammed nine boundaries and two sixes on Day One of the game against Saurashtra.

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