Despite worries about the low attendance at the venues, the ninth T20 World Cup officially began on Sunday. In the opening matches, both host nations were comfortably victorious. At the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, the USA convincingly beat Canada by seven wickets, powered by a sensational knock from Aaron Jones. Meanwhile, in Guyana, West Indies survived a scare on a tricky, two-paced pitch against Papua New Guinea. India will face Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 5.
Dynamic batter Riyan Parag wasn’t considered for India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 squad despite his impressive IPL 2024 campaign with Rajasthan Royals. When he asked on Sunday to predict the semifinalists for the ICC tournament, the young player refused to answer. Parag admitted he had no interest in watching the T20 World Cup, and would have only cared about the potential top four teams if he had made it to the squad.
“My prediction will obviously be biased, I must admit that I have no desire to watch the World Cup. I’ll simply check the final result and be satisfied. However, when I participate in the World Cup, I’ll certainly give my prediction,” said Parag.
Parag also expressed his confidence on making the national squad in the near future.
Parag was quoted by PTI as saying, “At some point, you’ll have to select me for the Indian team. That is my firm belief, and I am going to play for India. I don’t really care when that happens. Even when I was not scoring runs, I stated in an earlier interview that I am determined to play for India.
“I started playing cricket when I was 10 and me and my father (former Railways and Assam player Parag Das) focused to play for India one day. This is not arrogance but self belief. No matter what, I want to play for India,” he stated.
This 22-year-old player enjoyed a standout IPL season, amassing 573 runs at an impressive average of 52.09 and a blistering strike rate of 149.21.