Receiving the iconic blue Team India cap for the first time is an honour very few get to experience. But the moment was made even more special for Riyan Parag, as he was presented his first India cap by his own father, before making his debut in India’s first T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare. Riyan Parag’s father, Parag Das, is a former first class cricketer for Assam. Riyan also became the first-ever player from Assam to play for the Indian cricket team.
Parag finished as the third-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024, with 573 runs for the Rajasthan Royals, who finished third. His tremendous season, batting at no. 4, made it impossible for the selectors to ignore him, as a young India squad was picked for the five-match T20I tour to Zimbabwe.
Watch: Riyan Parag receives his debut India cap from his father
A son’s dream takes flight, and a father’s heart swells with pride! Riyan Parag, you’ve made Assam proud!
And what makes it even more special is receiving his Cap from the person who inspired him the most – his father!#TeamIndia #ZIMvIND #RiyanParag pic.twitter.com/PedtOTn3Z7
— Assam Cricket Association (@assamcric) July 6, 2024
Parag wasn’t the only one to make his debut in the first T20I, as Abhishek Sharma and Rajasthan Royals teammate Dhruv Jurel also received their first T20I caps.
Parag will have to make a stellar impression in the Zimbabwe series to remain a fixture in India’s T20I setup. This is because the world’s no.2-ranked batsman Suryakumar Yadav currently holds the no. 4 spot in India’s batting lineup in the shortest format.
India vs Zimbabwe
This is India’s first series after their historic 2024 T20 World Cup victory in the Caribbean and USA. After the tournament, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20Is, leaving the door open for youngsters to stake a claim as a regular part of India’s T20I XI.
Shubman Gill will be captaining Team India for the first time. It’s his first taste of international captaincy, having already become Gujarat Titans’ captain ahead of IPL 2024.
Three players from India’s T20 World Cup-winning team also feature in the Zimbabwe tour squad: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube.
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