The Ranji Trophy’s first round of matches has begun, and Assam captain Riyan Parag has grabbed attention with his batting. However, Assam lost the match against Chhattisgarh despite his knock. With a century from 56 balls, Riyan Parag ties the record held by Viv Richards.
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Riyan Parag matches Viv Richards’ record with a 56-ball century
In India, Riyan Parag has great recognition on the home circuit. The man rose to the position of captain of the Assam cricket team at a very early age. Regretfully, he occasionally receives trolling on social media due to his underwhelming performance while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
However, the child’s current domestic 2023–24 season is shaping up to be a remarkable one. Parag started the Ranji Trophy with a bang, having performed brilliantly for the squad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
On the third day of the current match at Raipur, on January 8, he struck a 56-ball century against Chhattisgarh. The captain of Assam led from the front, smashing 155 runs off only 87 balls at a strike rate of 178.16 with 11 fours and a massive 12 sixes to his name. Assam made 254 runs in their innings before being bowled out.
In addition, Parag’s century off 56 balls ranks fourth among Indians for quickest century in first-class cricket. It’s interesting to remember that during the 1985–86 first-class season versus England, renowned West Indies player Viv Richards also hit a century off just 56 balls. In the 1987–88 season, Assamese batsman RK Borah again amassed a century off of 56 balls against Tripura.
In the meantime, Assam lost their opening round encounter against Chhattisgarh, who had scored 327 runs in their initial innings, despite the valiant efforts of Riyan Parag. With the skipper scoring just eight runs, Parag and his team could only produce 159 runs in reply.
After Parag smashed a record century in the second innings, Chhattisgarh enforced the follow-on. But aside from him, Assam was bowled out for 254 runs with an 86-run advantage, with just three other batsmen able to score in double figures.