Parag gains rhythm after shoulder injury in Duleep Trophy

Riyan Parag said the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal in Bengaluru gave him valuable game time after a lengthy layoff and a shoulder injury, but his East Zone side still fell short as North Zone advanced to the semifinals on the basis of a first innings lead. Parag, who captained East Zone in Abhimanyu Easwaran’s absence, scored 39 and bowled 22 overs during the four-day match, telling reporters the outing helped him assess his recovery and regain match rhythm.

Parag said he had not played competitive cricket since the Indian Premier League and that his performances in IPL 2025 were hampered by a shoulder issue he sustained late last year. He underwent surgery before the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy and returned to domestic action in January. “Since the IPL, I haven’t really played any cricket. In the IPL also, I was managing a lot of stress and stuff like that,” Parag said. “The match felt good. 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. The arm also feels much better.”

The Assam allrounder had been used as an interim captain for Rajasthan Royals during IPL 2025 when Sanju Samson was unavailable,...