India’s world famous T20 event, Indian Premier League (IPL) has been producing a lot of cricketing talent for Indian cricket since its inception and Assam’s teenager Riyan Parag is one of those who got the opportunity to showcase his talent through this tournament.
Parag, one of the new stars this season, thanks to the IPL franchise Rajasthan Royal (RR) that they identified the huge talent in this teenager and brought him into the limelight thru the ongoing 12th edition of the IPL 2019.
With his sensational all-around skills in the IPL 2019, the 17-year-old has not only won a lot of hearts and praises from the fans but also cricket legends and experts as well.
Dean Jones, former Australia cricketer, and cricket expert is one of the admirers of Riyan, who was highly impressed by this teenager’s capabilities, especially his power hitting skill, which forced him to draw parallels with legendary South Africa batsman AB de Villiers.
Jones said on the Star Sports Select Dugout on Monday, 6th May, “I think Riyan Parag is an absolute potential superstar. I reckon he plays amazing shots to all parts of the ground. He is just 17 years of age; can you believe it? He has amazing stroke play and is good on the back foot and front foot, he’s good everywhere. He has a knack for getting into the right position just as the ball is released. Just like AB de Villers, he gives himself access to the ball to hit it 360 degrees.”
Meanwhile, the Aussie pointed out a small flaw in this raw talent, saying Parag has to learn how to tackle the short ball, though he is confident that the all-rounder would improve with age and will become a superstar in Indian cricket.
While praising the young talent, Dean said that Riyan is a natural born cricketer with a very cool, calm and collective attitude which makes him a momentum player, who can break the momentum of a game.
He explained, “There is one little issue I think at 17 years of age and that is bowling the short ball to him. AB De Villers gets back and across his position, goes back and swivels on top of the ball or if he wants, he goes high. Every time Riyan has played the hook shot or the pull shot his hands go up and he finishes with no balance. But he is just 17 and I haven’t seen a kid like him in a long time. He, I think could be an absolute superstar if handled in the right way.”
Jones signed off by saying, “He has promised at a very young age. He just looks very cool, calm and collective. What I also love about him is that he is a momentum player, he can break the momentum of a game. Those guys you can’t make, they are born.”
(With PTI Inputs)
