Riyan Parag’s Deodhar Trophy turnaround is sparked by Virat Kohli’s advice

The South Zone, captained by Mayank Agarwal, won the 2023 Deodhar Trophy, but Riyan Parag stole the show from beginning to end. The East Zone all-rounder was awarded Player of the Tournament after finishing the season as the third-highest wicket-taker, the player with the most sixes, and the leading run-scorer.

During the tournament, he added two additional hundreds to his List A total: a 102-ball 131 against North Zone and a 68-ball 102 versus West Zone.

 

 

A third was feasible in the final match, but he was ejected for 95 against South Zone, falling cruelly short of the triple-figure mark.

 

 

It had been a little more than two months after his disastrous IPL 2023 performance for the Rajasthan Royals, during which he was also benched from the starting lineup. During his terrible run of form, Parag was seen chatting to his idol Virat Kohli, whose photo he had maintained as his WhatsApp profile picture.

 

Parag conducted an interview after winning the Deodhar Trophy in which he recounted the counsel he got from the former India captain that enabled him make such a spectacular turnaround.

 

“Mai puri baat nahi bata paunga” (I’m not going to give you the actual dialogue). ‘Something that has worked for half a year cannot be incorrect after a few failures,’ he said. What occurs in the IPL is that the tournament moves so quickly that failing in two games causes you to doubt yourself. Everyone makes errors, and I’m no exception. “When two or three games don’t go your way, you feel compelled to change your process and work ethic,” he said.

 

 

“It was him telling me, ‘take a reality check and accept that this is a bad phase, but that doesn’t mean you need to change the process that has been working for you,'” he said.

 

Only 21 years old, Parag has seen both sides of his professional career. There have been highs, like as the U-19 World Cup triumph in 2018 and some impressive IPL performances that led to the Royals signing him for INR 3.8 crore last December, but there have also been lows, such as the 2023 IPL season, which saw him endure cruel social media abuse.

 

“People are bothered by my chewing gum. It’s an issue if my collar is up. I rejoice after making a difficult catch. “They have a problem with me gaming and golfing in my spare time,” he said. “I know why people dislike me. There is a set of rules for playing cricket. The T-shirt should be tucked in, the collar should be down, everyone should be respected, and no one should be sledged, and I am the polar opposite.”