'Cried In Bathroom...': 24-Year-Old All-Rounder's Gentle Reminder To Gambhir Before T20 World Cup

Riyan Parag, Assam Cricket’s poster boy, has been waiting for his India comeback. It has been more than a year since he donned the blue, but he kept on pressing his case hard with the domestic grind. A chronic right shoulder injury distanced him from India’s scheme of things in white-ball formats. And now, as he leads Assam in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he is determined to make his way back to the Indian dressing room.

Assam recently defeated Vidarbha by 58 runs on Wednesday. Post victory, Parag spoke to The Hindu and asserted that he is capable of playing both white-ball formats.

“I felt I was pretty decent for India. This is my belief, or overconfidence; you can say whatever you want,” he said.

“But I know that because my shoulder was

injured, I am currently not playing for India. Otherwise, I think I can play both white-ball formats. Whenever I am fully fit, you will see me in India colours again.”

Parag last featured in a T20I in October 2024 against Bangladesh. Before that, he played his only ODI against Lanka in August. His name popped up as one of the contenders for the South Africa T20Is, but he didn’t make the cut.

“I have been through these phases too many times. In domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), there have been three to four years where I have had to struggle a lot. I am also returning from an injury, so I have to be mindful about that,” he said.

He also urged caution when judging a player’s IPL readiness purely on the basis of their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) form. According to him, performances in the domestic T20 competition don’t always translate directly to success in the IPL, where conditions, pressure, opposition quality, and match situations are vastly different.

“I had two SMAT seasons where I scored at an average of 45-50 in seven matches, and then couldn’t score 70 runs in the IPL in 14 matches. I have cried in the bathroom because I wasn’t scoring runs. I have wondered whether I should practise or not practise at all, or whether I should go on a vacation.

“This [Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy] is all for muscle memory. If I score runs, then it is very good. If I don’t score, it is not like I won’t score in the IPL. Because it has happened that after scoring here, I have not scored there,” he added.

Parag’s Assam have been trying to survive in the ongoing SMAT 2025. They have managed 2 wins in 3 matches, placed 5^th in the Elite Group A points table.