PUBG, Free Fire are good but CS: GO is the best: Rajasthan Royals' starlet Riyan Parag

Last week, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans were treated to a few spectacular hours of gaming as famed YouTuber and Red Bull athlete, Ankit 'V3nom' Panth faced off against cricketer Riyan Parag in the Ultimate CS: Go Frag Out.

The 18-year-old Riyan Parag, who is an avid gamer was challenged to a game of CS: Go by V3nom, and the Rajasthan Royals starlet accepted. The duo featured in a five-a-side match which went all the way till the final map.

Riyan Parag, who is a Red Bull athlete also shed light on how he was surprised that the game stretched all the way until the last map. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, the youngster relived the match with Panth.

"We had a best of 5 match, I did not expect myself to do so well. I just went out there to have fun. Turns out I played better than my expectations and we almost beat them. We went until the fifth match, so it was an amazing experience and I got a lot to learn from the pro gamers. I think those events should happen even more in the future as I can improve my skills," said Riyan Parag.

The all-rounder also spoke about how Red Bull Flick, an upcoming event to unearth the best CS: GO player in the country will give aspiring gamers a chance to perform at the highest level.

Gaming is labelled as the 'next big thing' by many gaming enthusiasts across the country, with multiplayer games such as Free Fire and PUBG attracting scores of gamers. However, for the youngster, there's no looking beyond CS: GO.

"I think no disrespect, PUBG and Free Fire are good games but CS: GO is the best PS multiplayer game there is. I know Valorant has come out and it is giving CS some competition but nothing is going to beat CS and I am not at all going to change games," the all-rounder said.

Having achieved success at a very young age on the cricket field, the RR all-rounder also drew parallels to how gaming has helped him understand situations better on the cricketing front.

Riyan Parag wants to challenge Jofra Archer, Shardul Thakur to a game of CS: GO

Terming CS: GO as a high voltage game, Riyan Parag claimed that he's learned a lot from gaming and applies it to his style of play.

"In CS:GO you need to have 2-3 things in your mind at one particular moment. I think that has helped me in cricket as well, like when we are chasing a target or any random situation. One part of my mind is looking at the fielders, one part of my mind is thinking about what the bowler is going to bowl or what the situation demands from me," he said.

As for some of the best CS: GO players in the cricketing fraternity, the talented all-rounder is not aware of too many cricketers who play the multiplayer shooting game, but he wants to challenge a few big names.

Having played the game for quite a while now, the Guwahati-born cricketer wants to challenge his RR teammate Jofra Archer and India cricketer, Shardul Thakur.

"I think I’d like to challenge Jofra Archer in the Rajasthan Royals team because he likes to play a lot of games. In the Indian, team I’d like to challenge Shardul Thakur," Riyan Parag said.