Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag have been comrades since their U19 days, culminating in a shared victory at the 2018 U19 World Cup as part of the Indian team. Six years later, their paths converged once more as they made their senior India men’s T20I debuts on the Zimbabwe tour. Following India’s decisive 42-run victory in the fifth T20I, sealing a 4-1 series win, Abhishek expressed his disbelief at debuting alongside Riyan. “In the past few games, the bowling conditions have been favorable, and as Riyan mentioned after the first game, we all stepped up.”
“The positive aspect was that the next match was scheduled for the following day, allowing us little time to dwell on it. We had discussed this during the IPL, dreaming that if we were to receive our caps, it would be a dream come true. The fact that we made our debuts together was beyond our wildest expectations. We had talked about it long ago, and now it has become a reality,” Abhishek shared.
Riyan echoed similar sentiments. “It feels amazing. Following the first game, everyone raised their game, and we displayed clinical performances thereafter. I am extremely proud of the team and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We (he and Abhishek) unveiled our jerseys together.”
“I went to his room, he revealed his first, and then I followed suit. We played together in the 2018 World Cup, and then we were apart for six years. To now be playing together is incredibly special,” Riyan remarked.
During the series, Abhishek impressed with a 47-ball century and also made vital contributions with his left-arm spin bowling. “A special shoutout to Shubman (Gill) and the coaches for showing faith in my bowling, especially after the first two games where I did not perform well.”
“I am putting in the hard work on my bowling, and it is encouraging to receive support from the management. We all watched the World Championship of Legends final, and facing Pakistan is always a special occasion, even more so in a final. Congratulations to my mentor (Yuvraj Singh),” Abhishek added.
Riyan played a crucial role in a 65-run partnership off 56 balls for the fourth wicket with vice-captain Sanju Samson, who scored a brisk 58 off 45 balls on Sunday. “I had a conversation with Sanju bhaiya and emphasized the importance of building a partnership like we do at Rajasthan Royals. Once we had wickets in hand towards the end, we could accelerate, and on a tricky wicket, I am glad we performed well,” Riyan shared.
He concluded by expressing his enjoyment of playing under Shubman Gill’s captaincy. “It has been a pleasure playing under his leadership. We have played together in age groups, starting from under-16. He has always been a leader, even when not officially designated as captain. His on-field presence has been exceptional,” Riyan praised.
(This story has been published from a syndicated feed; only the headline has been altered, and no edits have been made by NDTV staff.)
@Cricbun
