Where is Riyan Parag? Inside details of all-rounder's recovery at the BCCI CoE

East Zone's captain Riyan Parag plays a shot on day two of a Duleep Trophy 2025 quarterfinal cricket match between East Zone and North Zone, at BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground, in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak) (PTI08_29_2025_000196B)

New Delhi: Riyan Parag was among the first few pilot projects when head coach Gautam Gambhir’s era got underway. Riding on an excellent domestic season and his multidimensional skill set, Parag found a place in both the ODI and T20I squads for India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in 2024. Parag enjoyed a breakthrough IPL season in 2024, finishing as Rajasthan Royals’ top-scorer and third overall in the tournament with 573 runs from 14 innings at an impressive average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.21.

Sitanshu Kotak press conference: Conversations between coach Gambhir, Virat and Rohit, and more

Before IPL 2024, he led Assam to the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023–24. He was the tournament’s top-scorer with 510 runs from 10 matches at a remarkable average of 85.00 and a strike rate of 182.79, while also picking up 11 wickets.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Parag’s most recent T20I appearance came in October last year during the home series against Bangladesh, while his lone ODI outing was against Sri Lanka in August 2024. However, a shoulder niggle kept the Assam all-rounder away from action. Parag underwent surgery for the injury, following which he returned to competitive cricket during the Ranji Trophy 2024–25 in January. He spent the early part of the 2025–26 season managing his right shoulder. The injury flared up again during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, forcing him to miss the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. Parag last played a competitive match on December 6 against Odisha in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Before the injury setback, Parag was enduring a lean patch in domestic cricket. In September last year, he scored three List A half-centuries for India A against Australia A but failed to carry that momentum into the unofficial ODIs against South Africa A. He managed just 100 runs across three Ranji Trophy matches for Assam. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, his scores read 5, 15, 14, 0, 5 and 14. Since then, Parag has been at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, where he is closing in on full fitness, TimesofIndia.com has learnt. The 24-year-old is currently at the CoE recovering from his shoulder injury. TimesofIndia.com understands that the all-rounder, who has been at the facility for the past three weeks, is awaiting the green signal. “He has started batting and bowling in the nets this week. He is not feeling any pain and is getting closer to regaining full fitness,” a source tracking developments tells TimesofIndia.com. Over the past few days, Parag has posted videos of his batting and bowling sessions on Instagram. With injuries to Tilak Varma, who has been ruled out until the third T20I of the upcoming New Zealand series, and Washington Sundar, who is likely to be sidelined for a longer period, Parag could come back into contention just ahead of the T20 World Cup. Parag remains a like-for-like option for both Tilak and Sundar but is awaiting clearance from the CoE following his shoulder injury rehabilitation. He has resumed bowling and is throwing at full intensity at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, with fitness clearance expected as early as next week.

Poll

Do you think Riyan Parag will make a successful comeback after his shoulder injury?

Yes, he is a talented player. No, injuries can affect performance.

Teams are permitted to make changes to their World Cup squads until January 31, and the Indian team management will be closely monitoring Parag’s progress. Sundar has already been ruled out of the ongoing three-match ODI series against New Zealand. It remains to be seen whether his replacement, Ayush Badoni, will feature in the five T20Is as well, or if the selectors will take a punt on Parag should he be declared fit, having been part of the original plans since the Gautam Gambhir era began following India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.

End of Article

Click here to read article