Assam cricketer Riyan Parag on Friday played his maiden ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup match for India as he took the field against Zimbabwe at Tauranga, New Zealand. Riyan took a wicket for India giving away 17 runs in his 5 overs of spin bowling.
Riyan, who is primarily a batsman, did not get a chance to bat as the India openers Harvik Desai and Shubman Gill went past the 155-run target set by the Zimbabweans in just 21.4 overs.
Riyan missed the first two games because of a finger injury.
The Indian team is on a roll with an unbeaten run at the tournament as they progress to the quarterfinals.
Earlier, Riyan proved his mettle by scoring three fifties in four innings during the tour of England in July last year. Riyan, who was appreciated for his batting style, scored 8, 52, 68 and 50 in two four-day matches at Worcester and Chesterfield under tough batting conditions.
The Indian team, with former India captain Rahul Dravid as coach, finished as runners-up in the previous edition when they lost to West Indies at the final Bangladesh in 2016.
