"First you should be patriotic"- Sreesanth's indirect dig at Riyan Parag during the T20 World Cup final
All-rounder Riyan Parag's comments about the T20 World Cup predictions have come under scrutiny from the fans and many in the cricketing fraternity. In one of the videos that went viral on social media, Parag was asked about which teams he felt would be making the semifinals of the T20 World Cup and who would win the title.
To this, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) star replied:
"I don't want to watch cricket anymore, because I want to play the World Cup."
Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth took an indirect dig at Riyan Parag's comment. While being on air with Star Sports during the T20 World Cup final between India and South Africa, Sreesanth claimed that Indian cricketers have to be patriotic even if they weren't part of the squad.
"Some youngsters have also said that they will not watch the World Cup because they have not been selected. I would say that first you should be patriotic, then yes, you should be a cricket lover. But those who have selected the team, they should be supported with all their heart, mind, and passion," he said.
India finally ended their 11-year wait for an ICC Trophy as they beat South Africa in a thrilling final by seven runs to clinch their second 2024 T20 World Cup title.
Riyan Parag received his maiden India call-up
Consistent performances in domestic cricket followed by a sensational IPL 2024 season have helped Riyan Parag break into the Indian team for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.
He scored a staggering 573 runs for RR in IPL 2024 and proved that he can add consistency to the talent that he always had. Parag's ability to bowl off-spin can also help India groom him into a potential world-class all-rounder.
India's squad for Zimbabwe T20Is: Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.