While playing for Rajasthan Royals, Riyan Parag was in super form during the middle order of the Indian Premier League 2024, making 567 runs in thirteen innings, with an average of 56.7. Abhishek Sharma, opening for Sunrisers Hyderabad, scored 484 runs in 16 games, at an overall striking rate of over 200, completely overshadowing teammate Travis Head.
Their great performances at the IPL earned them call-ups for India’s tour of Zimbabwe in July. It was on July 6, that at the Harare Sports Club, the young batters made their first international appearance. Riyan Parag just shared a nice moment from before the debut: the two opened their India jerseys together. Special because they made history together first as part of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup team.
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“We opened our jerseys together. I went to his room, he opened it first then I did. We played the 2018 World Cup together and for the next six years we did not play, now we are playing. Doing it with him was pretty special,” Riyan Parag shared, as quoted by TOI.
Abhishek Sharma made a mark in the third T20I with his maiden international hundred. While Riyan Parag looked less convincing in the early games, he redeemed himself in the fifth T20I by stitching a 61-run stand with Sanju Samson. While speaking about the partnership, Parag said their plan on a difficult wicket worked out well.
“Once we had wickets in hand, we could go big. It was a tricky wicket, so we were happy that we could do well. He [Sanju] has been like a captain, even when he wasn’t the official captain. In the field, he has been exceptional,” Riyan Parag concluded.
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This tour, therefore, has been a defining moment in terms of showing the potential and ability to adapt for both these young cricketers in an ideal international stage. The performances assuage the individual brilliance but express a decent promise about the future of Indian cricket with these two young stars in the fold.
