India’s squads for the Sri Lanka tour saw some major surprises, with one of the biggest talking points being the appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as the side’s T20I captain. Suryakumar was named the skipper despite Hardik Pandya being India’s vice-captain during the T20 World Cup last month; the all-rounder was expected to be promoted to captaincy following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format after the tournament win.
Another big decision in the squad selection was Riyan Parag being handed a maiden ODI call-up. The Assam batter made his India debut earlier this month when the side toured Zimbabwe, and despite having a quiet series where he batted twice in five matches, Parag retained his place in the side for T20Is. The decision raised eyebrows, particularly because the two star performers in Zimbabwe – Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma – were dropped.
It has now revealed the batter’s selection was helped by the fact that Tilak Varma, another youngster who made his India debut last year – is currently injured. Tilak plays alongside Suryakumar Yadav at Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, and has been one of their consistent performers over the past three years.
“Parag is highly talented and has improved his attitude towards the game by several notches. He’s now looking to stay at the wicket. To add to his value, he can bowl decently, and is a terrific fielder to boot. The selectors want to nurture him for the future,” the source told the newspaper.
“He can bowl yorkers, slower balls and employ other variations at the death. That makes him a good option in white-ball cricket,” the source added.
The first T20I of the three-match series between India and Sri Lanka takes place on Friday, which will also mark the beginning of Gautam Gambir’s stint as the side’s head coach. India’s two batting stalwarts – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – will join the camp ahead of the ODI series in the island nation, which also features three matches.
