For the second time this season, Riyan Parag will face off with MS Dhoni on October 19 in Abu Dhabi as both Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) look to find ways to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 play-offs.
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Theirs' is one interesting story. And it goes like this:
Former India captain Dhoni had first met Parag when the all-rounder was just three. A picture of the two had surfaced on social media last year after Parag made his IPL debut in a RR vs CSK match in Jaipur. Parag, who made 16 off 14, was caught behind off Shardul Thakur in that match.
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Then, Parag had said that "it's just an amazing experience to play against the man who played against my father, got him stumped and now got me caught behind. It's just surreal to play against someone who, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. I am really glad that I got a chance to play against him."
In fact, Dhoni had stumped Parag's father Das in one of the domestic games some 20 years ago, during a Bihar vs Assam Ranji Trophy match.
Fast forward to 2020, and Parag, 18, is once again caught behind, this time off Sam Curran. But Dhoni remained the constant behind the wickets.
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Both the players played crucial roles in their respective team's much-win games, against the same opponents -- SunRisers Hyderabad. Parag hit the winning runs, a six, in a thriller to revive RR's faltering fortunes in their last match, while Dhoni orchestrated a 20-run win.
A new chapter will be added to this interesting new rivalry.
