The East Division successfully overcame the West Division with 157 runs in Pondicherry on Tuesday in the Deodhar Trophy semi-final which was essentially the virtual all-around winner. Taking a 102* (68) lead from Riyan Parag, the East Division held a final with the South Zone dominating the competition. Parag delivers in a stressful and critical situation when his team asks for his bat to come back to life.
Speaking to BCCI TV after the game, Parag mentioned what has helped him perform better in the past few matches. worried, that I feel good and that I will win the match tomorrow for us. Parag also talked about how confident and confident playing was key to getting him back in shape.
Coming in at 6th as his team struggled at 143/4, Parag was on the offensive and efficient, scoring six limits and five max points to push his team past the 300 mark. . In response, one side of the Western Sector, who could only send captain Priyank Panchal at the age of 11, took it down cheaply, with Manisankar Murasingh carrying 5 sticks.
Talking about how he has changed to become a better smasher, Parag said, “I'm a lot more mature now. I think two years ago I might have hit a silly gyro shot because that's my forte, I love hitting six gyros. I will try to force something and I will leave. I think I'm more mature now, I judge conditions very well and today is a great example of that. I took my time, ran a lot of singles, a lot of doubles, and tried my best to succeed like hell in the last 10 rounds.
It was the second century of the Parag tournament, he also scored a massive 131 (102) goal against the North Zone. In the 5 group stage matches, Zone East won 4/5 matches, only lost to Khu Nam, the team finished with a perfect record.
"I admire no drummer but Virat Kohli":
Riyad Parag
Talking about the celebrities he tries to learn from and get inspired from, Parag talked about Virat Kohli. “Always Virat Kohli. I don't admire any other drummer, although there are great drummers in our generation. But I sympathize very much with Virat Kohli, and I talked to him, I talked to him often. It just has a lot of items that I really like.
"I can relate to this person," Parag continued. "I like when he says something, I really get it and he makes me understand it too."
Parag also commented on how it has been beneficial to share a locker room with R Ashwin during the IPL, as he is looking to make his bowling spin to add to his arsenal as is a cricketer. “It's not the big things, it's the little things. Like when to throw which ball, and even before the last game, I told him about the carrom ball. I told him I didn't get the speed or spin I wanted with the carrom ball, so he just suggested a few tweaks here and there with the hand and palm position, and I can see the difference immediately.
The East Zone has the tough task of getting past Mayank Agarwal's mighty South Zone team, although the Karnataka hybrid has retired due to injury in their final game of the group stage. The final will take place on August 3 in Pondicherry.
