Riyan Parag received flak for his forgettable maiden international series, where he made just 24 runs in two innings against Zimbabwe. Eyebrows were raised when he was selected in both the white-ball squads for the series against Sri Lanka.
Parag, surprisingly, played all three T20Is against the Lankans. While he didn’t offer anything with the bat as he was pushed down as a finisher, he showed what he has to offer on spinning wickets in Sri Lanka. Although Parag didn’t get any chance to feature in the first two ODIs, he was slotted in the third ODI. Virat Kohli handed him the ODI cap number 256 and praised his ‘match-winning talent’.
Riyan Parag the new bowling sensation?
Coming into the third ODI, Parag was expected to roll his arm over and add cushion as a genuine spin threat. Turns out, he was indeed a major threat for Lanka. As the ball got older after the 25-over mark, Parag turned the ball square. He had several variations up his sleeves, bowling off-spin, carrom ball and leg-breaks.
Parag broke the deadlock and got the best Sri Lankan batter in Avishka Fernando out at 96. It went straighter through the air and plumbed Fernando in front of the stumps. Parag’s next two wickets came with some beautiful off-spin bowling. He first trapped Charith Asalanka before castling Dunith Wellalage with a peach.
Although Parag was hit for some runs while bowling the 48th over, the Assam-born all-rounder finished his maiden ODI figures at 3/56 in nine overs. Parag’s batting prowess is not a surprise for anyone as well. Given his showings as a wily spinner, this may be a great sign of things to come for Gautam Gambhir.
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