Riyan Parag - Harshal Patel - sportstiger

Picture Credit: Twitter/IPL

Riyan Parag is an interesting cricketer. The 20-year-old garnered some unwanted attention for his on-field acts during the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was also criticized for a few of his acts. However, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) cricketer seemed to care least about people’s opinions throughout the tournament.

Among all his acts, Parag’s verbal spat with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel caught some significant attention. It made headlines as Harshal and Parag did not shake hands after the match between RR and RCB ended. Everyone speculated on the possible reason behind that event, however, there was no clear explanation.

But now, Parag himself has explained the whole incident and how it transpired. During a Rooter stream, the 20-year-old explained why his gesture with the hand triggered angry reactions from Harshal Patel. Parag first talked about an incident from IPL 2021 when Patel had given a fierce send-off to the RR batter. He then explained that he did the same when he hit Patel for a couple of sixes in the last over of RR innings during the second league game between the two teams.

“Harshal Patel had made a gesture with his hand after dismissing in IPL 2021. I did not see it then but saw his reaction while watching replays in my hotel room and it stayed in my head. So, I did the same when I hit him in the last over. I neither uttered a word nor did I abuse him,” said Parag on Livestream.

About the verbal spat with Patel after the end of the innings, Parag revealed that it was actually Mohammed Siraj who sledged the batter and not Patel. “What happened after the end of the innings, it was Siraj who called me not Harshal. He called me and said ‘You are a kid so stay like one’. Then I told him that I did not say anything to you,” he added.

Watch the video here: