Team India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has supported the inclusion of young batter Riyan Parag for the Sri Lanka series despite his poor performance in Zimbabwe. Describing Riyan as a player with an X factor, he praised the youngster for showing massive improvement in his batting in IPL 2024 as well.
Notably, questions have been raised over the decision to pick Riyan in both the T20I and the ODI squads for the series in Sri Lanka. The youngster managed only 2 and 22 in the two T20Is he played in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma, who performed better than Riyan in the same series, were dropped for the T20Is in Sri Lanka.
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Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first T20I in Pallekele, Suryakumar Yadav said, “I rate him very highly. I met him at the NCA before the IPL when we both were doing our rehabs. He has that X factor and he needs to keep everything aside and focus on that. He [has] realized that. In this year’s IPL, he was a different player from the previous 3-4 seasons. I am very happy for him. The way he was performing in domestic cricket as well in the last couple of years, it sets a good base. I am very happy that he is here with the team,” Suryakumar added.
However, the T20I series will also mark a new era in Team India’s T20I journey. With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja having
retired from the format, it will be interesting to see the youngsters take the team forward.
“Three players have retired and it will be difficult to fill their shoes, but the new players who have come in have practiced and played a lot. They have already done well in franchise cricket and also while playing for India. So I have a lot of trust in those three, who have just come in their place, that they will do well. Hardik’s role has always been the same and it will remain the same. He is a very important player in the team. The way he performed in the World Cup, hopefully he can continue in the same manner,” the Indian captain commented in the same press conference.
