After scoring plenty in the domestic cricket over the last one season, Riyan Parag finally got a chance to make his India debut during the just-concluded T20I tour of Zimbabwe.

While Parag played only three out of five T20Is, he expressed his delight in representing the country alongside his U-19 teammate Abhishek Sharma.

The 22-year-old also lauded the captaincy skills of Shubman Gill after India bagged the series 4-1 despite losing the first match.

Parag further revealed that he and Abhishek unpacked their Indian jerseys together in the hotel room before their debut match.

"We opened our jerseys together. I went to his room, he opened it first and then I did. We played the 2018 World Cup together and for the next 6 years we did not play, now we are playing. Doing it with him was pretty special," Parag told the broadcaster after the fifth and final T20I on Sunday (July 14).

Reflecting on his 65-run stand with Sanju Samson in the fifth T20I, Riyan Parag said that he had a talk with the wicketkeeper-batter about having a partnership like they used to have while batting for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

"Once we had wickets in the end, we could go big and it was a tricky wicket, glad we could do well," he added.

Parag said it was nice playing under the leadership of Gill, who has been playing with him since he was in U-16 cricket.

"He has been like a captain, even when he was not captain. In the field, he has been exceptional," the Assam lad remarked.

Riyan Parag failed to leave a big mark in his debut series for India. He could score just 24 runs in two innings and did not claim any wicket.

On the other hand, Abhishek Sharma registered scores of 0, 100, 10 and 14 in four innings and also returned with a couple of scalps.

(With ANI Inputs)