Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag Das (born 10 November 2001) is an Indian international cricketer who currently plays T20I for India. He plays as the Captain of Assam in domestic cricket and for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is a Batting-all rounder. He was a part of the Indian Under-19 team that won the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

Personal life
Riyan's father, Parag Das is a former first-class cricketer who has represented Assam, Railways and East Zone cricket team. Parag Das and former captain of team India MS Dhoni featured in Railways' tournaments together in Kharagpur and Guwahati. They have also played against each other in the Ranji Trophy, when Dhoni turned up for Bihar. On Riyan's IPL debut, Dhoni was keeping wickets and captaining the opposition.

His mother Mithoo Barooah, is a former national record holding swimmer in 50m freestyle who represented India at the Asian Championships and SAF Games. 1985 was a momentous year for Mithoo as she bagged a Silver medal (this was an unprecedented milestone by any male or female swimmer from Assam) in the 50 metres breast stroke in the Asian Age group championship. In 1990, she clocked a National Junior record in the 100 metres breast stroke and in 1993, she clocked the National record (in the 50 metres freestyle) in National Games, Pune. In 1991 she had participated in the South Asian Federation Games and bagged two golds and one silver and one bronze. Riyan's mother, Mithoo Barooah's cousin is the renowned multilingual singer Zubeen Garg.

Career
As a 14-year-old, Riyan Parag could have been the youngest first-class debutant in India, but for the Assam selectors, who weren't on the same page as the state's then coach Sanath Kumar. Riyan made his Twenty20 debut for Assam in the 2016–17 Inter State Twenty-20 Tournament on 29 January 2017. In October 2017, he was named in India's squad for the 2017 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup. He made his first-class debut for Assam in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy on 17 November 2017.

In 2017, he was selected for India's Under-19 squad for the two youth Tests in England. He finished the two youth Tests in England as India's second-highest run-getter, behind Prithvi Shaw. His twin fifties in the first-game - including a 33-ball half-century, the second-fastest behind Virat Kohli in recorded youth Tests, helped India set up a declaration and paved way for a 334-run victory in Chesterfield.In the second Test, he made a half-century in India's quest for quick runs, strung a 131-run stand with Shubman Gill for the fourth wicket and set up a 2–0 series win. Prior to the tour, he finished a bumper season, in which he was the second-highest run-getter in the 2016-17 Cooch Behar Trophy, India's national four-day tournament for U-19 players, with 642 runs in 14 innings and a best of 202 not out.

He was selected in  India A squad for India U19 Challenger trophy(2017), and became the highest run-getter in that tournament. In December 2017, he was named in India's squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. According to the India U19 coach Rahul Dravid,he was in phenomenal form, hitting it beautifully in the build-up,but unfortunately got injured. Parag didn't start the tournament because of a finger injury, and made the XI only for the final group game against Zimbabwe. He broke his finger in the warm up games, but participated in the later half of that competition. The finger injury in his left hand meant he couldn't bat fluently. He worked on his secondary skill and developed as an offspinner. He was the leading run-scorer for Assam in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with 248 runs in seven matches.

In December 2018, he was bought by the Rajasthan Royals in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League at his base price of 20 lakhs. During the 2019 Indian Premier League, he became the youngest cricketer to score a fifty in the history of the Indian Premier League. He achieved the feat at the age of 17 years and 175 days breaking the previous record of 18 years and 169 days, jointly held by Sanju Samson and Prithvi Shaw.

He was released by Rajasthan Royals ahead of the mega auction for 2022 Indian Premier League. In February 2022, he was re-bought by the Rajasthan Royals in the auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League tournament. In the 2022 Indian Premier League, he took 17 catches - the most by any Indian fielder and non-wicket-keeper in the tournament and scored a match winning 56 not out for Rajasthan Royals in a low scoring thriller against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

In the 2022-23 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he was the highest run-getter for Assam and overall the fifth highest across sides in the season, with 552 runs at an average of 69 with three tons and one fifty. He also took 10 wickets in the season with his leg-break bowling. In the quarter finals of the tournament chasing a mammoth 351 against Jammu and Kashmir, he scored 174 off 116 balls, an innings that studded with a dozen sixes and an equal number of fours.

In one of the group stage matches of the first-class 2022-23 Ranji Trophy tournament playing against Hyderabad, Riyan struck 78 off 28 balls with the bat in the 2nd innings apart from picking up an eight wicket match-haul with his leg break bowling to help his team clinch a closely fought contest by 18 runs.

In the 2023 Deodhar Trophy, he was adjudged the Player of the Series for being the highest run-getter, highest six-hitter and third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. He scored a total of 354 runs in the tournament at a batting average of 88.50 and snapped 11 wickets at a bowling average of 19.09. Riyan Parag surpassed Yusuf Pathan’s record of nine sixes for West Zone against North Zone (2010), to record the most sixes in an innings in the tournament's history by smashing 11 sixes against North Zone. Parag struck centuries against West Zone and North Zone. In the final of the tournament playing for East Zone against South Zone, Riyan scored a 65 ball 95 after coming to bat when his team was tottering at 72 for 4 chasing an imposing target of 329.

He then became the highest run -getter and highest six hitter with 510 runs and 40 sixes respectively in the 2023–24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He managed to top the run scoring charts for the second tournament in a row in Indian domestic cricket. He amassed the runs at a batting average of 85 and a strike rate of 182.79, along with being the first cricketer to score seven consecutive half centuries in T20 cricket. He also contributed with the ball - scalping 11 wickets throughout the tournament.

In the same season ,Riyan Parag struck consecutive first-class centuries against  Chattisgarh and Kerala. He scored a total of 378 runs in 2023-24 Ranji Trophy in 6 innings at a batting average of 75.60 and a strike rate of 113.85, along with again becoming the highest six hitter of the tournament with 20 sixes in elite category. He smashed the second-fastest century in the history of Ranji Trophy, getting to the landmark off just 56 balls. He went on to score 155 playing for Assam in that away game against Chhattisgarh at Raipur. Officially Rishabh Pant scored the fastest century in Ranji trophy off 48 balls against Jharkhand in the 2016 edition of the Ranji Trophy. Unofficially Shakti Singh has scored the fastest century in 42 balls for Himachal Pradesh against Haryana, but during that time there were no official scorers and the scoring was done by the team members. And as it would have it, they started to count only when Singh neared his fifty.

He was honoured with the Lala Amarnath best allrounder award for the domestic season 2022-23 by the BCCI. The captain of the senior men's team Rohit Sharma had presented him with the award.

He was also included in the India A cricket team squad for the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Riyan played in the final against Pakistan A where he picked up two middle-order wickets off consecutive deliveries.

In the IPL 2024 season, Riyan Parag was the highest run scorer for Rajasthan Royals, overall the third highest on the run scoring charts and fifth highest on the six hitters list with 573 runs and 33 sixes respectively.

He became the first Assamese to be included in the Indian National Squad when his name was selected for the T20I squad of the India National team for the series against Zimbabwe tour from July 6, 2024.

He has been later selected for the T20I as well as the first call up for ODI squard against Sri Lanka tour starting from 27 July 2024.