In welcome news, Riyan Parag has been included in the Indian cricket team for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. The Assam-born lad has been included in both the T20I and ODI squads in what will be new coach Gautam Gambhir's first assignment.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the squads for the tour of Sri Lanka later this month. This comes after Parag made his international debut against Zimbabwe in the recently concluded T20I series.
Riyan Parag's maiden tour will be looked with mixed feelings as the debutant failed to carry on his IPL form as India was handed a defeat in the first match. He did not get to bat in the second match and was subsequently benched for two matches. Parag returned to the team for the final game scoring 22 runs off 24 balls with a massive six. His role on that day involved playing second-fiddle to IPL teammate Sanju Samson, which he pulled off to perfection.
However, the team management has decided to continue to place their trust on Parag despite his meagre return against Zimbabwe. He has been named in both the ODI and T20I squads and will look to make the number 4 spot his own.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who remains without a BCCI central contract, has returned to the ODI scene. In a further surprise, the management decided to opt against naming T20 World Cup 2024 winner Kuldeep Yadav in the T20 squad. However, he finds a spot in the ODI team. Additionally, Abhishek Sharma, who scored a ton in the Zimbabwe series, failed to make it into any of the squads. Similarly, Ruturaj Gaikwad, also did not make the cut despite performing admirably against the Chevrons.
Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav has been named as the captain for the T20 squad despite Hardik Pandya being in the team. Shubman Gill has been appointed as the vice-captain for both the ODI and T20I formats.
T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.
ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
