East Zone’s Riyan Parag has never been shy of numbers, yet his first-class comeback at the season-opening Duleep Trophy was more about time in the middle than runs in the book. After months managing a troublesome right shoulder, the 23-year-old led a depleted East attack and left Rajkot pleased that, above all else, the joint still moves.
“It was good,” Parag offered at stumps on day four after the drawn encounter with North Zone. “I mean, that was the main goal when I came here to play the game. Performances, I didn’t really focus on that much. I just wanted to have some fun.”
Those fun levels were tested. With Abhimanyu Easwaran ruled out by fever on the opening morning, Parag found himself captaining a side that lost both Mukesh Kumar (thigh) and Mohammed Shami (gashed toe) during the match. East began with four seamers; by Tuesday afternoon two part-timers and the skipper’s own brisk off-breaks were shouldering the bulk of 170 overs.
“That was one of the tough things to manage,” Parag admitted. “Shami bhaiya didn’t bowl today, Mukesh got injured in the first innings, I’m coming back from an injury so I had to bowl 20 overs. Utkarsh [Singh], our non-bowler, he had to bowl around 30 overs so that did play a part for us in fielding a lot of overs but then nothing we can do about it. We just take it as a loss.”
North cashed in, piling 658 for 4 to add to a first-innings lead of 175 and cruise into the semi-finals on the lead-based points system. On a surface that flattened out early, Parag’s 39 was East Zone’s highest score. He looked in decent rhythm, driving fluently until an ambitious flick against left-arm spinner Mayank got through the gate.
Could the innings have gone bigger? “Could have converted it for a bigger score, but then I’m happy. The shoulder feels much better now,” he said, half-smile betraying both relief and mild frustration.
Context matters. Since a solitary T20I against Bangladesh last October, Parag has undergone surgery, missed India’s South Africa tour, and spent most of IPL 2025 batting with heavy strapping. Despite the discomfort he still finished as Rajasthan Royals’ second-leading run-getter, but by May the stress in the joint was hard to hide.
Physio-led rehab in Bengaluru has restored strength and, crucially, allowed him to resume bowling – a skill India’s selectors value because it balances a white-ball XI. That versatility explains why his name sits among the travelling reserves for the Asia Cup. If the joint behaves, a limited-overs trip to Australia in October-November beckons.
For now Parag insists it is “back to basics”: club sessions in Guwahati, a couple of friendly fixtures, and then Assam’s Ranji opener in mid-October. The goal, he says, is to turn low-key spells such as Rajkot into building blocks.
“They played better cricket, I got to give credit to that,” the captain reflected, taking the result on the chin. “I feel we could have done better in the first innings while bowling but then we should have got at least close to like 350 and then try to restrict it.”
Unlike some post-match debriefs, there was little posturing. Parag knows East Zone’s campaign ended the moment North tucked into their makeshift attack, and he is savvy enough to realise personal landmarks would have felt hollow had the shoulder flared up again.
From a distance the numbers appear modest: 39 runs, 22 tidy overs, no wickets. Dig a little deeper and those 132 deliveries with a still-healing joint may prove more valuable than a gilded hundred. East Zone’s season proceeds without him; Parag’s longer game – a fit body heading into a packed home calendar – is only just beginning.
