Lack of game-time on the cricket field, due to Covid-19 restrictions last year, meant Riyan Parag got more than enough time to delve into his other passion--gaming. “I went overboard,” says the 19-year-old.
By going overboard, the youngest half-centurion in the IPL (17 years and 175 days, 2019 season) means thumbs pushing controllers for close to 12 hours a day. For someone whose Twitter bio has "gamer" written alongside "professional cricketer", that's not entirely a surprise.
Parag has over 13,000 followers on his YouTube channel, where he regularly streams his live gaming videos during his numerous sessions of Counter Strike and Valorant. He interacts with his fans too on the platform.
“I play with the top gamers in India. I take it seriously. You can find me sulking if I lose. But I am not as good as them, so I haven’t thought of taking e-sports professionally yet. For that I need to play as long as I used to do in quarantine,” Parag says.
Now, Parag has reduced his gaming time to four hours a day, because there is a more important task at hand. The Assam boy was part of a brilliant 85* run sixth wicket stand with Rahul Tewatia at the 2020 IPL, which helped Rajasthan Royals snap a four match losing streak. That 42 not out off 26 balls was Parag’s highest score last season and his only significant contribution in the team’s journey.
{{/usCountry}}Now, Parag has reduced his gaming time to four hours a day, because there is a more important task at hand. The Assam boy was part of a brilliant 85* run sixth wicket stand with Rahul Tewatia at the 2020 IPL, which helped Rajasthan Royals snap a four match losing streak. That 42 not out off 26 balls was Parag’s highest score last season and his only significant contribution in the team’s journey.
{{/usCountry}}“My job in RR is to basically finish off games. While that one match was good, I could not perform to my potential in the other matches. I hope to gain more consistency this year. I have prepped well with a good Syed Mustaq Ali T20 Trophy for Assam,” Parag says.
At the Syed Mustaq Ali T20 Trophy, Parag scored 261 in five matches at an average of 87.00 and strike-rate of 141.84. In fact, the middle order batsman was the only one from his team to tally more than 120 in the tournament.
“I generally bat at No. 4 or 5 for Assam. It’s mostly the same in RR as well. It’s the hardest position to bat. Either you have to curtail your natural instinct and play cautiously to take your team out of danger or you are in the 18th over and expected to smack every ball to the boundary. You have to pay out of your skin,” Parag says. “Doing that consistently under pressure is what I am trying to achieve this season.”
Perhaps all those bullets flying at him on Counter Strike will help build composure under pressure. RR will need it--they finished last among eight teams in 2020 and Parag knows the enormity of the task this season. “Mostly, I think it’s about qualifying for the playoffs. Last year we know we were last but then if you can imagine ourselves winning a game or two, we could have qualified. It’s a very tough competition. My main goal for this year is to contribute more to the team and qualify for the knockouts,” he says.
Parag was part of the 2018 U-19 World Cup that India won. That squad included the likes of Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Kamles Nagarkoti, and Anukul Roy among others.
“It gives me a lot of motivation seeing Prithvi, Shubman. Even Ishan (Kishan) bhaiya and Surya (Kumar Yadav) bhaiya with their great senior international debuts. They motivate me to perform more consistently in the IPL and hopefully break into the Indian team,” Parag says.
“Mentally, I visualise the tough match situations and incorporate those aspects in my practice sessions. Match simulation is what I rely on a lot.”