CHENNAI : Expectations can be great and grave. Sometimes it can be cruel too. The burden can be heavier than the Atlas on Hercules’ shoulders. If it is met, the journey can be beautiful and cherishing. Rewarding too. Sporting world is replete with such stories. Riyan Parag's is one such journey but with a tinge of varied experience.
Hailing from a cricket-star-starved state like Assam, the expectation on Riyan is understandably enormous. As he waded into the national spotlight, focus on him intensified. There is talent, hunger and diligence — all rolled into one. Runs have kept flowing from his blade. Domestic cricket has been his kingdom where he ruled like an emperor. Yet, this same form did not fetch him runs while batting for Rajasthan Royals. This season, however, the storyline is taking a different turn.
The 24 runs off Anrich Nortje in the last over in Jaipur's last match against Delhi Capitals showed the touch Riyan is in. The 22-year-old scored 84 off 45. In their first match, it was 43 off 29 balls. Matured beard has replaced his boyish looks of Riyan. The brickbats (for earlier unimpressive performances) are slowly turning into accolades. Things will definitely change if he keeps his run-scoring spree going. "He has matured," are the words of his father Parag Das.
Quietly watching his progress, all the vicissitudes of life are his parents — Parag and Mithu Baruah. Parag is a former first class cricketer, and Mithu a national-level swimmer. They are the wind behind his sails giving him emotional stability and mental strength to withstand any criticism when the chips are down.
Riyan grew up watching his father play. And his father very well knows what expectation can do a player. "I always tell him that he has to take it positively. It is a blessing in disguise for him,” he told this daily from Guwahati. “This will also keep him on his toes. And only performance will silence critics and he knows that."
Parag, who follows his son's progress meticulously, felt representing Assam also has its advantage. "When you play big teams like Karnataka or Tamil Nadu or Mumbai and you score big then it is against good attack. It gives you confidence," he said. "He has to take the responsibility of the batting as well as bowling for Assam. So far he is doing well. For him it's like handling a pressure situation. And I think that must be helping him like in the last two matches.”
Another marked change was the batting position. Earlier, Riyan used to come down the order and would not get enough time or balls to score big. But this season, the team showed faith in him and promoted him to No 4. "That is definitely helping him,” said Parag. Last year, after the IPL Riyan had asked his father one thing, 'I have not done anything yet I was being trolled or criticised and if I do something then what happens?'. That's exactly what Parag reminded him. "Suppose you do something, then what happens?" Parag recollected. "I also told him that there are a lot of players who have not performed in the IPL but were not trolled but why you? My answer was that those who were criticizing you want performance from you. Take it positively."
More engagement
Though he used to spend time with his son initially, with professional commitments, things have changed. He hardly gets time with Riyan but he is not complaining. "For the last two-three seasons, I have not spent too much time with him. He plays domestic cricket and then he attends Rajasthan Royals special camp every now and then so he is hardly here in Guwahati," he said. Riyan was part of the Emerging Teams Asia Cup last year and then attended a camp at the NCA and then the domestic season started. At the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), Riyan had been a revelation. He hit a record seven consecutive half-centuries and amassed 510 runs in 10 innings and took Assam to the semifinals. Riyan also created a record in Deodhar Trophy for East Zone — most runs in the tournament (354 runs in five matches) for a single season.
It had not been an ideal season, either. Injury led to a pause. He played one Vijay Hazare match and got injured and had to go to National Cricket Academy for rehabilitation. He recovered for Ranji but again after scoring two hundreds and a fifty in three Ranji matches, he hurt the same right shoulder. Rehabilitation ensued. "For any player injury is a very difficult phase," said Parag. "It was not easy for him either. While he was recovering at NCA the second time, I even went and stayed there for three days."
The other side
There is another side to Riyan. He loves to hit the gym. Even if he may not go through extended rituals at the nets, he would never miss a gym session and it's almost like an obsession. "He is very particular and takes his fitness very seriously," said Parag. Sometimes he would go after training in the camps as well. He will be the first on the ground no matter how late he sleeps and is always committed to practice.
Parag also revealed that like all middle class families, Mithu and he had other plans for Riyan if he was not keen on pursuing the sport. "We had other plans as well… not his plan, but our plan," he said. "So almost every year we used to ask him. All children go through such moments in their lives when they don’t know what to do. We never forced him to pursue the sport or any other vocation. We always supported him in his endeavours. At the same time, we know that sometimes kids are not sure what they want to do or play which sport. In fact, we used to keep asking him if he would like to continue or not." So when did it stop? "Well, after he got into the India U-19 team we stopped asking," said Parag. "After he was selected for the India team we knew there was no point asking him."
Riyan has hit a purple patch. The road that leads to the national team is still rough. A heady mix of big knocks and big-game temperament can help soothe the journey. For now, it's all about extending his good form through the IPL season.