After playing his part in India’s triumphant Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2018, Riyan Parag gave a glimpse of his tremendous batting talent in the last season of Indian Premier League (IPL). Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), the 18-year-old amassed 160 runs from 5 innings at a strike-rate of 126.98.

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He was keen to showcase his skills once again before the nationwide 21-day lockdown started due to COVID-19 pandemic and the IPL 2020 got postponed until at least April 15.

In an exclusive chat with TOI, Riyan shared his experience of playing in the cash-rich event and the lessons he acquired from international stars.

"It was mostly about how to handle pressure. At this level, one should know what's going on with their batting, their game, a little bit on the technical side as well. With me, it's a lot on the mental side because if I'm in a good mental space, I know I can deliver better. Besides, we talked about how to handle certain bowlers and play according to the situation." Parag said of his interactions with Australia batting great Steve Smith.

"The most important thing that I learnt from last year's IPL was how to handle and cope with the pressure. Secondly, that cricket is just a game. Not overthinking about it or getting sad after my dismissal," he added.

While plying his trade for the Royals, Parag also interacted with the likes of Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Jos Butler.

"He (Archer) is definitely the quickest that I have faced. Bumrah and Rabada were also really fast," he acknowledged.

After a fixture against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Parag clicked a selfie with Virat Kohli and shared it on social media.

"He (Virat) told me I was doing well and should enjoy the game and be myself," he reveals.

"But I feel the best advice given to me was by Stokesy, as he told me that I needed to treat this as a game and not take it too far," Parag concluded.

(With TOI inputs)