Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Riyan Parag admitted being affected by the undeserved hatred and negativity directed towards him earlier in his career. The 22-year-old received an IPL contract from RR in his teens in 2019 but succumbed to expectations.Parag had a reasonably impressive debut IPL season in 2019 with an average of 32 and a strike rate of 126.98 in seven games. However, he struggled massively in the next four IPL seasons from 2020 to 2023 with a lone half-century in 47 games.Apart from his poor on-field performances, fans also went at Parag for his nonchalant and seemingly carefree approach.In an interview with ESPNCricinfo after his maiden India call-up for the upcoming Zimbabwe T20Is, Parag said:“It's not easy. But then again, after last year, I had a chat with myself. And this sort of a comeback is personal, because I had to put up with stuff I didn't really deserve. Maybe I've lacked in preparation, maybe I've lacked in a few things, but then I've always put my best foot forward. I thought I didn't deserve all the trolling, but what could I do? People are going to say things regardless. Last year they said I wasn't good enough to play in the IPL. Now they want me in the Indian team. So people change, just like a switch."Riyan Parag enjoyed a sensational turnaround domestic season after IPL 2023 and continued his impressive run in the 2024 IPL season.The Assam cricketer finished with 573 runs at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.22 in 15 matches, resulting in his national call-up."Maturity comes with pain" - Riyan ParagRiyan Parag feels he matured as a cricketer thanks to all the pain caused by the hatred and negativity directed towards him.The 22-year-old was heavily criticized by fans all over India for his dismal showing in the IPL until the 2024 season."Maturity comes with pain. There are millions watching the IPL. When I don't perform, I feel terrible. And people add to it. Opinions from fans add to it. Opinions from great players add to it. So I just had to figure out what really mattered. Why was I getting so much hate? Why was I getting negative energy from all the people except those from the Royals set-up? I tried to understand my game. And once I started doing that, I got this sudden love for getting into cricket a lot," said Parag.Parag will likely debut for India in the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, starting in Harare on Saturday, July 6