"We opened our jersey together...": Riyan Parag on making India debut with Abhishek Sharma

Riyan Parag (Pic: File Pic)

After winning the series against Zimbabwe, debutant Riyan Parag said that it was special to play for India along with his Under-19 teammate Abhishek Sharma. He also praised captain Shubman Gill for his leadership skills in the five-match series.

The four-wicket haul by pacer Mukesh Kumar and a half-century by Sanju Samson were the match highlights from the fifth T20I against India.

Speaking after the game in the post-match presentation, Parag said that everyone "woke up" after a loss in the first game. He also said that he and Abhishek, both teammates from the 2018 U19 World Cup, opened their jerseys from the packaging together when they got it.

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"We opened our jerseys together. I went to his room, he opened it first and then I did. We played the 2018 World Cup together and for the next 6 years we did not play, now we are playing. Doing it with him was pretty special," said Parag.

Speaking on his run-stand with Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag said that he had a word with Samson about having a partnership like they used to have while batting for the Indian Premier League's franchise.

"Once we had wickets in the end, we could go big and it was a tricky wicket, glad we could do well," he added.

On playing with skipper Gill, Parag said that it was nice playing under Gill, who has been playing with him since he was in under-16 cricket.

"He has been like a captain, even when he was not captain. In the field, he has been exceptional," he added.

Riyan Parag did not have a memorable debut though, coming after scoring 573 runs in 16 matches in the IPL 2024 for RR. He could score just 24 runs in two innings and did not get any wickets.

Team India under Shubman Gill's captaincy sealed the five-match T20I series by 4-1 against Zimbabwe.

(With ANI Inputs)