The 2023 Deodhar Trophy final on August 3 saw the South Zone getting crowned as the champions for the 9th time after they defeated the East Zone in an epic cricket battle. Riyan Parag played a phenomenal knock, hitting 95 runs in East Zone’s chase of 329. However, his heroics couldn’t save his team from losing the final by 45 runs.
The all-rounder from Assam expressed his disappointment on Twitter after the deciding game. His Tweet read, “Not another final dudeeeee.”
This drew a reaction from former Indian late-order batsman and wicketkeeper Syed Saba Karim. The cricketer commended Riyan on his wonderful campaign and praised him for displaying exceptional skill on the pitch.
“Well played Riyan. Good to see you bat with aggressive intent. Keep at it. Best always”, he wrote.
Well played Riyan. Good to see you bat with an aggressive intent. Keep at it. Best always— Syed Saba Karim (@SyedSabaKarim5) August 3, 2023
Riyan Parag followed up Saba Karim’s words with a very humble “Thank you.” Despite the loss, the fans were really happy with the cricketer’s performance in the tournament. Several people recognised Riyan’s class and his passion for the sport as compliments flooded the replies.
Thank you:)— Riyan Paragg (@ParagRiyan) August 3, 2023
Hero ????????, you make us proud bhaiya. Your fan @ParagRiyan— Kaustuv Chakraborty (@KaustuvChakrab7) August 3, 2023
Great performances in the Series. Well played!!— criclover_ba13 (@criclover_ba13) August 3, 2023
You were terrific Riyan, don’t settle aim high now— Gitartha Kalita (@gitartha_k) August 3, 2023
Well played champ— Arnob Sharma (@ArnobSharma31) August 3, 2023
Riyan Parag’s side had a 328-run target ahead of them to secure the Deodhar Trophy against the East Zone. The team lost early wickets and sat at a score of 14/3 in only the fifth over of the game. By the 25th over, the South Zone lost five wickets. That’s when Parag stepped up for his team, scoring 95 runs in 65 balls. He hit eight boundaries and five sixes in the game.
However, he was dismissed in the last ball of the 38th over, curbing the remaining chances of a comeback. It was Washington Sundar who put an end to Parag’s fury. Sundar also picked up a catch to dismiss Mukhtar Hussain, sealing the game for the South Zone.
Riyan Parag had a stellar Deodhar Trophy campaign on an individual level as he finished as the tournament’s top scorer. He scored 354 runs despite playing one less game than his closest competitor Mayank Agrawal of the South Zone who finished at a 341-run total.
Parag averaged an astonishing 88.50 runs per game in the List A cricket competition. This was the third important final of his career that he lost. Parag’s previous defeats came in the Indian Premier League 2022 season and the Asia Emerging Cup.
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