SMAT 2023: Why is Riyan Parag being praised by former cricketers and why is his celebration being criticised?

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SMAT 2023: Assam captain Riyan Parag is trending on X and other social media platforms because of his superlative form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2023. A handful of former cricketers including Abhinav Mukund and Akash Chopra have praised him.

His insane form in domestic cricket has continued in the T20 tournament. The 21-year-old has hit seven consecutive fifties in eight matches in the tournament so far. Riyan Parag scored 45 in the first match against Odisha.

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) star broke the record held by Virender Sehwag, Jos Buttler, Kamran Akmal and Hamilton Masakadza. Each of these players scored six consecutive T20 fifties in their careers. Also no batter has more fifties than Parag in single Syes Mushtaq Ali Trophy edition.

The right-hand batter is currently the leading run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023. He has scored 490 runs in 8 matches at an average of 122.50. He has also picked 11 wickets in the tournament with an average of 19.63 and an economy rate of 6.96. The leg-spinner is joint sixth-highest wicket taker in the SMAT 2023.

In the preceding Deodhar Trophy 2023, Riyan Parag emerged as the leading run-scorer. He scored 354 runs in 8 matches at an average of 88.50 and a strike rate of 136.67. He hit two hundreds in the domestic 50-over tournament for East Zone. Parag was also East Zone's leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps to his name at an average of 19.09 and an economy rate of 4.84.

Riyan Parag celebration, why is he being criticised for it?

Riyan Parag slammed an unbeaten fifty in the pre-quarter final against Bengal. His 31-ball innings consisted of two fours and four sixes as Assam chased down the 139-run target with 13 balls and eight wickets remaining.

As soon as he hit the fifty, the Guwahati-born star turned towards the pavilion, making a gesture that appeared to say, “I stand on a different level compared to the others.” He has drawn flak from fans for his arrogance.