India vs Zimbabwe | Riyan Parag Becomes First Assamese Cricketer To Play For India In Men's Cricket

Riyan Parag made debut in the first T20I of the five-match bilateral series against Zimbabwe. It was a historic moment for the all-rounder as he became the first Assamese cricketer to represent India in men’s cricket. In fact, he is also the first north-east cricketer to do so.

Harare (Zimbabwe): India handed debut to the three players when they locked horns against Zimbabwe in the first match of the five-match T20I series. Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel made their debuts in the game but the occasion was special for Parag as he became the first Assamese cricketer to play for the Indian team in the men’s cricket. In fact, he is the first cricketer from north-east to play for Men in Blue.

A round of applause for #TeamIndia Debutants from today! 👏👏

Go well 👌👌

Follow The Match ▶️ https://t.co/r08h7yfNHO#ZIMvIND | @IamAbhiSharma4 | @ParagRiyan | @dhruvjurel21 pic.twitter.com/tt1oeKem2u

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 6, 2024

Assam have an international cricket venue but they were yet to produce an international cricketer. However, the 22-year-old changed that scenario by making debut against Zimbabwe and etched his name in the history books. Parag was haned the India cap by his parents.

It has been an eventful journey for the all-rounder as he kicked off his emergence with the U-19 World Cup in 2018. Thanks to his consistent performances in the junior cricket, the all-rounder entered into the Rajasthan Royals (RR) dressing room and has turned into a crucial cog in the RR set-up. The hunder to continously get better at what he is doing helped him get better in his game and the previous domestic was the proof of his zeal to improve.

Parag had a stellar run in the recent season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy scoring 510 runs at a strike rate of 182.79. He has also picked up 11 wickets. While playing for East Zone in the Deodhar Trophy, he smashed 354 runs in five matches, the most in the tournament besides clinching 11 wickets too. He also carried his form into the Ranji Trophy, accumulating 378 runs with an average of 75.60 in four matches, including two centuries.

Riyan was in the same zone when he headed into IPL 2024. His sublime form earned him the Orange Cap in the season and he ended up as the highest run-scorer for his team and third in the overall tally. He amassed 573 runs at a strike rate of 149.22 in what was his best IPL season with the bat in hand.

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