(July 29), Why it will be difficult to ignore Riyan Parag is explained by Irfan Pathan.
Even though India defeated Sri Lanka pretty easily in the opening Twenty20 International, coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav came under fire for a poor tactical choice. Sanju Samson is benched in favor of rookie Riyan Parag. The fans were especially harsh on Gambhir, accusing him of being a hypocrite after GG had declared Samson “undroppable” in India’s Playing XI while he was working as a broadcaster.
However, Parag had a small influence, so Samson’s absence wasn’t felt. Parag, who was playing in just his fourth Twenty20 international, was dismissed for seven, but his bowling more than made up for it. Parag finished with 3/5 after taking three wickets in 1.2 overs with his leg and off spinners. It is difficult to overlook Parag because the Indian team management is obviously leaning towards multi-utility players, as Irfan Pathan emphasized on his X handle.
“Due to his bowling prowess, Riyan Parag is going to be given a lot of opportunities. Few people in the nation can roll their arm over like a top-order batsman. Riyan Parag will have an advantage here, and for good reason,” Pathan wrote on X.
Samson’s peculiar case remains puzzling. Playing in the second Twenty20 International, he replaced vice-captain Shubman Gill, who was out for a first ball duck due to back spasms. Samson previously participated in two Twenty20 International innings in Zimbabwe, where he scored 12 not out and 58 after being left out of India’s Playing XI for every match of the T20 World Cup. However, fans are upset that they were left out of the first Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka. He had an incredible IPL 2024, leading the Rajasthan Royals from the front and amassing 531 runs, the most he has ever scored in a single tournament.
What’s with the Samson case?
It is crucial to remember that earlier this year, in Paarl, Samson struck 108 blowouts against South Africa to record his first century for India. However, many were taken aback when the wicketkeeper batter was benched from the Sri Lanka ODIs. Perhaps only the fan bases of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are larger than Samson’s. Therefore, this kind of internet backlash is typical whenever he is not playing or axed.
Regarding Parag, a report from last week claimed that although Gambhir and associates had intended to include Tilak Varma in the Indian T20I team, the young player for the Mumbai Indians’ injury forced the team management to take Parag into consideration, particularly due to his ability to bowl ‘yorkers, and slower balls’ in the dying overs. As demonstrated on Saturday, Parag can bowl both types of spin, which makes his bowling somewhat akin to that of Sachin Tendulkar. Although he didn’t demonstrate his medium-pacer abilities, it’s thought that he is also quite skilled at it.
With every series, teams are relying more and more on a solid lower middle, and India is embracing this strategy by starting Axar Patel over someone like Yuzvendra Chahal, which makes Parag an intriguing prospect. As Pathan noted, Parag is undoubtedly important since India is gradually preparing for the 2026 T20 World Cup at home and is searching for new combinations and choices. Yes, but if all he does is bowl, no one will find him interesting. Batting is also very important.
