IPL 2020 was the lowest point of my career: Riyan Parag
"The media made me feel like I was the king of the world. The next day when I did not perform, the people that were praising me, they just flipped" Parag said.
Crickate
In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Riyan Parag has been unable to perform to his maximum capacity. A portion of cricket fans believe that the Assam batsman has received more opportunities in the league than he deserves, making him one of the most criticised players on social media.
The right-handed batsman made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2019 and had a respectable season, accumulating 160 runs in seven games with an average of 32 and a strike rate of 126. In the last four seasons, he has averaged less than 15 points per game. The 21-year-old explained how he felt after receiving hatred on social media and how, with time, he realised he should not let outside noise influence him.
"I can be macho and assert that none of the criticism affects me. However, I have learned the hard way that I should keep such information to myself. The 2020 IPL was the nadir of my career. 2019 was a wonderful year for me. In an interview with Cricket.com, Parag stated, "When I was 17 years old, I expressed myself, had the best season, and felt on top of the world."
"The media gave me the impression that I was king of the universe. The following day, when I failed to perform, those who had been praising me freaked out. When I was in Dubai and we were quarantined, I asked myself, "What am I doing?" I would be sceptical of everything. Why am I receiving social media trolling? The same routines that I used to perform before people began to dislike them," he added.
Having scored only 78 runs in seven IPL 2023 matches, Parag required a good season to get his career back on track. In the recently concluded Deodhar Trophy, he scored 354 runs in five matches at an astounding average of 88.50 to emerge as the tournament's leading run scorer. The gifted adolescent finished with 11 wickets with the ball as well.
