He gave me a good 10-15 minutes of his time and shared a few things with me

Rajasthan Royals (RR) batting all-rounder Riyan Parag recalled how a conversation with star batter Virat Kohli while undergoing a bad phase in his second IPL season helped him.

Parag debuted in the IPL at the end of his teenage in 2019 and impressed with a few valuable cameos. The 22-year-old averaged 32 at a strike rate of 126.98 in seven games that season.

However, things quickly turned south for the Assam cricketer as he endured a torrid time in the following season in 2020. Riyan Parag scored only 86 runs at an underwhelming average of 12.28 in 12 outings.

In a conversation with JioCinema, Parag recalled Kohli’s advice and said:

“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.”

Unfortunately for Parag, his struggles continued till last season, with the right-hander being among the most criticized cricketers in the IPL.

However, after an incredible showing in domestic cricket over the past year, the 22-year-old has realized his full potential in the ongoing IPL season. Parag is third on the Orange Cap list with 318 runs at an average of 63.60 and a strike rate of 161.42 in seven games.

“Playing against CSK, going in to bat, with Dhoni behind the wicket, was a surreal moment for sure” – Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag also recalled the surreal feeling of playing against the Chennai Super Kings for the first time in IPL 2019 with MS Dhoni only a few feet from him.

Dhoni is IPL’s most successful captain in terms of wins and has also led CSK to a joint-record five titles.

“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,” said Parag.

Parag also spoke about learning a lot about how to conduct himself from former RR captain Rahul Dravid.

“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,” Parag added.

Thanks to Riyan Parag’s outstanding run with the bat, RR is currently sitting on top of the IPL 2024 points table with six wins in seven games. They will take on five-time champions Mumbai Indians in Jaipur on April 22.