Riyan Parag: A Boy with a Mission

At a time when very wealthy and very influential former Indian cricketers are desperate to convince the world that they do not charge money from the IPL teams for their work as ‘mentors’ or whatever, one Ahom teenager has taken the sword out of the scabbard and slaughtered the hypocrisy in style and splendor.

One major message of this year’s IPL is the quiet emergence of a rare talent in the form of Riyan Parag. The teenager from Assam, who was a member of the world cup-winning India under-19 team last year, showed the adult cricket world his exceptional class, his repertoire of strokes, the power of his timing and, above all, his quiet confidence for the big occasion. No wonder he has MSD as his role model. Initially coached by his father, Riyan has certainly picked up the right recipe of batsmanship from his India under-19 coach, the unflappable and erudite Rahul Dravid.

In the face of odds, the gutsy young man helped Rajasthan Royals to defeat Mumbai Indians and then followed it with another sterling match-winning performance at Eden. All the supposed ‘international muscles of KKR’ vanished into thin air as the 17 year old Ahom gave a lesson to the recruiting personnel of KKR not to show disrespect to the talents in East Zone. For the record, KKR does not have a single player from the eastern region in its team.

Riyan gives the ball a real wallop. But what delights the connoisseur more is the solid cricketing technique that he possesses. Here is a batsman, who needs encouragement and exposure from the right quarters to be able to serve his national team for years to come. Wonder if our national selectors have even heard of him?

It is high time that our cricket administrators in mainstream India realize the kind of talent that lies in obscure corners of this land, particularly in the much-neglected north-east. These largely-ignored sportspeople from the north-east have time and again proved that even with the slightest of opportunities they can easily upset the apple-cart of their ‘fancied and favoured’ opponents.

Riyan’s father Parag Das was an outstanding all-rounder from Assam in the late 1990s. One of the hardest hitters of the ball, he bowled medium-fast getting his deviation from the proper use of seam. Apart from these qualities, Parag was among India’s best out-fielders in his time. On the electronic media in 1999, it was my well-considered opinion that he should be in the India world cup team to England. For having said this unpalatable truth, I lost my job! Parag’s seam bowling, power-packed stroke-play and exceptional fielding skills would have done the country proud. But then who has the time for a man from the perpetually ignored north-east?

Riyan’s mother Mithu Barooah is a former India swimming sensation. All those gold and silver medals that she won for India and Assam are now only a distant memory. Totally deprived of opportunities in their heydays, both Mithu and Parag decided that they would fight the system with no quarters asked for. Riyan reflects his dad’s image on the field. Wonder if any visionary would appoint Parag as a coach at the national level? Mithu, on the other hand, would make a fantastic sports administrator with her verve, energy, knowledge and a very broad-minded approach to life.

Riyan’s maternal grandfather R P Barooah was a very popular teacher at Don Bosco School in Guwahati in the 1970s. The tea garden owner was also the school’s cricket coach. As a regular columnist and commentator, prolific writer RPda harped on cricket with passion and feeling. Riyan, most certainly, is extremely fortunate to have such an excellent sporting pedigree. For India’s sake, I wish Riyan becomes the vanguard of a sports movement in Assam.

Even after seven decades of India’s political independence, will north-east still remain out of mainstream India?