Riyan Parag made his One-Day Internationals debut on Wednesday as he made it into India’s Playing XI for the ongoing third and final game against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The youngster had earned his maiden India call-up a few weeks ago and made his international cricket debut in the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. He earned the call-up after enjoying a breakthrough season in this year’s IPL.
The right-handed batsman finished the season as the third-highest run-scorer, scoring 573 runs in 14 innings with the help of 4 half-centuries. Though Riyan Parag could not make a big impact against Zimbabwe, he managed to retain his place in the T20I side for the series against Sri Lanka. He was also taken into the ODI squad.
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Though the Assam star played in all three T20Is, he couldn’t find a place in the playing eleven for the first two games of the ongoing ODI series. However, he was included in the playing eleven on Wednesday as India made a couple of changes for the do-or-die clash. What made the occasion even more memorable for Riyan Parag was that he got his first ODI cap from his idol Virat Kohli.
Welcome to ODI cricket, Riyan Parag 👏👏
He receives his 🧢 from Virat Kohli 👌👌
Follow the Match ▶️ https://t.co/Lu9YkAmnek#TeamIndia | #SLvIND | @ParagRiyan | @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/TdsQYGkCbw
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 7, 2024
The former India skipper handed the cap to his younger teammate just before the start of the game. Meanwhile, India have also recalled Rishabh Pant to the playing eleven for the final game of the series. KL Rahul and Arshdeep Singh have made way for Parag and Pant. The wicketkeeper-batsman will feature in his first ODI match since November 2022.
“Plenty to play for, we have been challenged in the last two matches. Pretty clear as to what we need to do with the bat and ball. We have addressed it – what we need to do as a group,” said Rohit Sharma at the toss.
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“You got to give credit to the opposition, they played well and understood the position well. Another opportunity for us to correct. Two changes. We have Rishabh and Riyan Parag in place of KL and Arshdeep,” he added.
India will have to win the ongoing game to level the series. The hosts are currently leading the series 1-0.
