Riyan Parag Delighted by Debut, Praises Gill's Leadership

Riyan Parag, the Indian all-rounder, expressed his delight at making his international debut alongside his former U19 teammate Abhishek Sharma. Parag, who played a crucial role in India's series win against Zimbabwe, praised skipper Shubman Gill's leadership skills.

After India's 42-run victory in the fifth and final T20I, Parag reflected on his journey. "It was special to make my debut with Abhishek," he said. "We opened our jerseys together, remembering our time at the 2018 U19 World Cup."

Parag also spoke about his partnership with Sanju Samson, his Rajasthan Royals teammate. "We had a chat about having a partnership like we used to have at RR," he said. "We're glad we could do well."

Parag lauded Gill's captaincy, saying, "He has been like a captain even when he wasn't. He's been exceptional in the field."

Despite his impressive IPL performance, Parag had a modest debut, scoring just 24 runs in two innings. However, India secured a 4-1 series victory.

In the match, Zimbabwe elected to field first and restricted India to 167/6. Samson (58) and Parag (22) led the Indian batting, while Blessing Muzarbani took two wickets.

Zimbabwe started well in the chase, but Shivam Dube's spell and a crucial run-out of Sikandar Raza turned the tide. Mukesh Kumar then cleaned up the tail, dismissing Zimbabwe for 125.

Dube was named 'Player of the Match' for his all-round performance, while Washington Sundar, who scored 28 runs and took eight wickets in the series, received the 'Player of the Series' award.

Tags: #RiyanParag, #AbhishekSharma, #ShubmanGill, #India, #Zimbabwe