It ought to have been a night of celebration for Riyan Parag, who not only registered his highest score of a disastrous season with the bat but also earned the privilege of becoming the first captain to stop the Punjab Kings juggernaut. Instead, it ended with the 24-year-old smack bang in the middle of a storm of his own making, which has since hung giant question marks around his decision-making abilities apart from triggering doubts over Rajasthan Royals’ commitment to adhering to the laid-out norms.
Parag showed glimpses of his best touch with a crisp but crucial 29 in New Chandigarh on Tuesday night, one of several meaningful contributions that helped Rajasthan snap Punjab’s undefeated run and clamber to third on the league table after their six-wicket victory. It reignited the 2008 champions’ campaign and kept them firmly in the hunt for a place in the playoffs. So far so good.
Also Read: Riyan Parag shuts down middle-order doubts after Rajasthan Royals end Punjab Kings’ winning streak
Around all this came visuals of Parag ‘vaping’ in the dressing room, not long after he was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal. With Donovan Ferreira and impact player Shubham Dubey mounting a furious assault on the target, Parag literally chose to let off steam, taking a deep drag from the offending device which the omniscient television camera unerringly caught. Yashasvi Jaiswal briefly blocked the screen but as he walked away, it was impossible to miss the vapour streaking out of Parag’s lips.
How did the vape get inside the RR dressing room?
The obvious outage in various quarters has been primarily morally driven, but it’s worth remembering that the issue extends beyond morality. There are numerous legal angles that can’t be missed. Or ignored. For one thing, vaping or the use of e-cigarettes is illegal in India under The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) 2019.The Act prohibits the production, sale, purchase, import, export and advertisement of e-cigarettes/vapes in India, and violations can lead to imprisonment and hefty fines. For another, electronic devices – which is essentially what a vape is – including but not restricted to those with recording and communication capabilities are largely prohibited in the dressing-room. That’s why players and members of the support staff deposit their cell phones with team managers soon after their alight from the bus which ferries them to the ground. So, how did Parag/someone else sneak a vape in the dressing room?
It’s also worth recalling that less than a fortnight ago, Romi Bhinder, the Rajasthan team’s long-serving manager, was fined ₹1 lakh and officially warned for using a mobile phone in the team dugout, which contravened BCCI/IPL protocols. You’d have thought Bhinder, who has been associated with the team and with the IPL for so many years now, would know better. Clearly, he didn’t. You’d then think that, chastised after that unwanted attention, Rajasthan and Parag would know better than to break rules. Clearly, they don’t either.
Parag will inevitably attract scrutiny and censure from beyond the official quarters for vaping and therefore setting a ‘bad example’ for youngsters who believe it is ‘cool’ to do so. He will also face potentially more damaging sanctions from the authorities who, it is believed, are unlikely to take a lenient view given that the drama played out in full public glare and that more than just moral or ethical factors are at play.
Trouble mounts for Riyan
By his own admission, Parag is in the middle of a difficult phase. A few nights back, he acknowledged during a post-match interview with the host broadcaster that he was going through something, though he understandably didn’t elaborate. A career that held immense promise internationally has hit a roadblock in the last couple of years with untimely injuries not helping his cause either. Parag was part of the Indian team under Prithvi Shaw that won the 2018 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, was signed up by Rajasthan the following year and debuted for India as a 21-year-old. He played all ten of his ODIs and T20Is combined in a three-month period between July and October 2024 and hasn’t been in serious consideration for national duty since, though in Rajasthan, he is prime property.
Last year, when Sanju Samson was recovering from a broken thumb and wasn’t cleared to keep wickets, therefore playing as an impact substitute, Parag was made the stand-in captain, to widespread surprise. This year, with Samson being traded out to Chennai Super Kings, Parag has been installed as the skipper in his own right. As a leader, he has been a mixed bag, sometimes showing flair and imagination and at other times allowing the game to drift and making elementary errors, while his bat has gone largely cold. The Rajasthan management, however, has been solidly behind him and they will continue to remain so, though what defence they and Parag himself will mount after this misadventure remains to be seen.
Parag is articulate and seen as intelligent in knowledgeable quarters, and while he can come across as cocky and/or arrogant, that is more a perception issue than guaranteed reality. What is, however, beyond question is that he has crossed a line and trespassed into forbidden territory for which he should most certainly be prosecuted. He hasn’t done a great deal with the bat to press his claims for an India recall at a time when Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar are harrying the established T20I middle order with one breathtaking compilation after another. This indiscretion – harder to explain considering that among others, one of his mentors is head coach Kumar Sangakkara – is certain to be another, massive setback in his quest to return to India colours.
Parag still has age on his side and ought to be humbled and chastened by an act of incredible stupidity and utter disregard for protocol. To ascribe any other hue will be grandstanding and pompous. How he bounces back from punishment that should be more than just a token slap on the wrist will reveal his character and showcase his inner steel.