New Delhi. It has been 24 hours since the announcement of the Indian team for the Sri Lanka tour, but there are many things that still remain a mystery. Especially the selection of the ODI team, in which two young faces have been given a chance. Riyan Parag and Harshit Rana have been selected in India’s ODI team for the first time. Riyan Parag has been given a place in this team when T20 team captain Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh, who has earned the tag of finisher, were not considered worthy of it.
Two things are clear in the team selected by the Indian selectors for the Sri Lanka tour. First, this team has been selected keeping in mind the next 3-4 years. Second, Gautam Gambhir’s vision is included in this team. Riyan Parag’s selection has been done keeping these two things in mind. 22-year-old Riyan Parag was also selected for the Zimbabwe tour earlier. But then he was dropped from the playing eleven after the first two T20 matches. It seemed that it might take time for this player to get a place in the team again. But if the team selection came as the biggest surprise for anyone, it was Riyan.
Riyan Parag was given a place not only in India’s T20 team but also in the ODI team. That too when Abhishek Sharma and Rituraj Gaikwad, who scored centuries on the Zimbabwe tour, were shown the way out. But leave aside Abhishek and Gaikwad, this time Riyan has also left behind Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh. Riyan Parag has been included in the ODI team in which Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh have not got a place.
This is the first time in Indian history that the captain of the T20 team has been kept out of the ODI team. Let us make one thing clear here that Surya had no wish or compulsion (injury or any other reason) in this. The selectors did not have any place for him in the ODI team. This place is of the middle order, for which the selectors probably want to prepare a young player and in which Riyan was found to be the most fit. Riyan Parag has got the most help in coming ahead in this race from his performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Secondly, he also bats at number five in domestic cricket. The selectors are experimenting by giving him a chance on the Sri Lanka tour. If Riyan takes advantage of this opportunity, he can also become a regular member of the team.
As far as Suryakumar Yadav is concerned, he has suffered due to missing out on previous opportunities in the ODI format. Suryakumar Yadav was the only Indian player who disappointed with his performance in the World Cup 2023. The selectors remembered this and perhaps that is why Surya could not find a place in the ODI team.
Tags: Gautam Gambhir, Indian Cricket Team, Surya Kumar Yadav, Team India
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 19, 2024, 19:23 IST