Here's How Riyan Parag Made His Way Into The Indian Squad For The White-Ball Series Against Sri Lanka

India’s tour of Sri Lanka will commence on July 27th, with the T20I series starting first. After a spirited T20 World Cup campaign, the IND vs SL bilateral series was anticipated to be uneventful. However, the Indian team selection ahead of the series has attracted inquisitive eyes waiting for the squad to hit the action. The white-ball series will be the first project for Gautam Gambhir as the Indian head coach. The former Indian batter, along with the newly appointed BCCI Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar, made sure to leave an impactful mark of his arrival in the Indian set-up. Out of the many head-turning changes in the squad, one was the entry of Riyan Parag in both the T20I and ODI sides. After days of speculation, clarity has emerged to explain Parag’s surprisingly swift selection.

Why The Debate Upon The Selection Of Riyan Parag?

Riyan Parag marked his international debut in July, assisting a young Indian side led by Shubman Gill for a T20I series against Zimbabwe. The batting all-rounder, in turn, featured in 3 out of the 5 matches. Parag, initially, burst onto the scene with an impressive outing in IPL 2024 for Rajasthan Royals. The 22-year-old has been a part of the Rajasthan team for a while now. However, prior to 2024, Parag’s performance had been quite underwhelming, leading to confusion among the audience about his consistent presence in the team despite continued disappointments.

However, coming off a heroic performance for Assam in first-class cricket, Parag scored 573 runs across 14 innings at an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.21. Thus, Parag rightfully joined the Indian squad for the Zimbabwe series. Even so, his recent selection in the men’s senior team for the Sri Lanka series, especially in the ODI side, raised many eyebrows.

Why Was Riyan Parag Selected In The Indian Squad For The Sri Lanka Series?

Riyan Parag’s selection across the white-ball formats has come due to the unavailability of Tilak Varma. The young Mumbai Indians wicket-keeper batter picked up a hand injury during the season. Initially, the selectors, along with India’s newly appointed T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, were keen on picking the left-handed batter for the squad. However, Varma’s injury put him out of contention. Varma has featured in 4 ODI matches for India, scoring 66 runs with a half-century to his credit.

"Parag is highly talented and has improved his attitude towards the game by several notches. He's now looking to stay at the wicket. To add to his value, he can bowl decently and is a terrific fielder to boot. The selectors want to nurture him for the future," a BCCI source informed TOI.

Now, the Indian side is looking forward to nurturing Riyan Parag in the team. Parag, along with being a middle-order batter, presents himself as a promising spin prospect for the team. While the batter didn’t display any eye-catching knocks on the Zimbabwe tour, his recent IPL and first-class outings have backed him into the Indian side.