"Mai kal aapko match jitake duunga" - Riyan Parag discloses his prediction to coach before his 102 in Deodhar Trophy

East Zone all-rounder Riyan Parag recently revealed that he'd predicted a match-winning performance in a chat with his coach on the eve of the virtual semi-final of the 2023 Deodhar Trophy against West Zone.

Parag hit an unbeaten 102 in the List-A game, effectively helping East Zone to go from 157/5 to 319/7 in the first innings. They won by 157 runs to reach the final. This was his second hundred of the tournament. Earlier, against North Zone, Parag smashed 131 to lift his team from 57/5 to 337/8 and to an eventual win by 88 runs.

"I love playing under pressure, I love when wickets are down," he told BCCI.tv while recalling the game. "It's not the most ideal for the team but I love it when I go under certain circumstances where we are chasing something very big or have to set up a big total and we have lost wickets. So I think it's a lot of mental work that goes on behind the game. Even today I had this feeling.

"He (His coach) actually told me that 'Match jitana hai, match jitana hai' (You have to win us the game) and I told him, 'Aap tension mat lo, mujhe accha lagra hai, mai kal aapko match jitake duunga' (Don't worry, I am feeling good, I'll win you the match tomorrow)."

Parag also talked about tackling criticism and "a lot of people and a lot of things" trying to bring down his confidence. He said:

"It has got a lot to do with confidence. There are a lot of people and a lot of things that try to bring down that confidence but I guess believing in yourself and working extra hard outside the field, in the field, that's why the results are coming."

Before the final, the right-hander was the fourth-highest run-scorer with 259 runs and among the top-10 wicket-takers with nine scalps in the tournament.

"I have gotten a lot more mature" - Riyan Parag

The 21-year-old also admitted that he has now matured and instead of forcing the pace of his innings against spinners, he bides his time with singles and doubles. He said:

"I have gotten a lot more mature. Two years back, I would have hit some silly shots against spinners because that's my forte, I like hitting sixes off the spinners.

"I would have forced something and gotten out. Now I think I am a lot more mature and assess conditions really well. Today was a prime example of that. I took my time, ran a lot of doubles, ran a lot of singles gave myself a good opportunity to go like hell in the last few overs, and that worked out."

Parag is currently playing in the final against South Zone. You can catch that live here.