"On what basis?" - Fans react as Riyan Parag gets picked in India's T20I and ODI squads for Sri Lanka tour
Riyan Parag has made the cut to India's squad for the upcoming white-ball series in Sri Lanka. That came as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced separate squads for the T20I and ODI series in the island country on Thursday, July 18.
Notably, Parag made his India debut against Zimbabwe during the recently concluded five-match T20I series. The right-hander returned with scores of 2 (3) and 22 (24) in his two innings.
The BCCI, however, showed faith in Parag, who amassed 573 runs in 15 IPL matches during his breakthrough Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Rajasthan Royals (RR).
The majority of fans on X (formerly Twitter) were not impressed with Parag getting picked for the white-ball series. One user wrote:
"Is Riyan Parag ko kyu le rahe bhai koi CD hai kya jai shah ki iske paas."
Another user wrote:
"On what basis that guy Riyan Parag made it to the squads of both ODI and T20I. Literally the guy has zero achievements, and the guy who has done nothing wrong, Ruturaj Gaikwad, has to sit out for no particular reason. Now shouldn't we call these as Politics???"
"Tf is riyan parag doing? why no abhishek?" added another user.
Here are a few more reactions:
"I feel that people from my state limit themselves from thinking big" - Riyan Parag on becoming first India player from Assam
Riyan Parag recently expressed his delight at becoming the first cricketer to play for India from Assam. He told ESPNCricinfo (via The Times of India):
“I feel that people from my state limit themselves from thinking big. I want to change that. I want to play for the country, and once I do, people will see that they can have a pathway to the national team, even from a small state like Assam.”
Speaking about his journey, Parag added:
"During the 2023 IPL season, I worked hard to improve my game. I went out of my comfort zone, training at the Rajasthan Royals Academy in tough conditions. That dedication paid off."
India squads for Sri Lanka's white-ball tour:
T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman 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, Mohammed Siraj.
ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.