Riyan Parag, SL vs IND: Team India started their Sri Lanka tour in a great way.

The visitors won the first match of the 3-match T20 series by 43 runs, in which Riyan Parag played an important role. The young all-rounder took 3 wickets for just 5 runs in his 1.2 over spell.

After the match, Riyan Parag said that he had followed the advice of head coach Gautam Gambhir and practiced bowling hard in the nets. In the match, Riyan proved to be the X-factor for Team India and he also gave a befitting reply to the critics through his performance.

Even though Riyan Parag's bat has been completely silent in international cricket so far, he can prove to be a useful all-rounder for the team in the future. He scored more than 500 runs for his team in IPL 2024, due to which he was selected in Team India.

In this article, we will mention those 3 reasons why Team India should give more opportunities to bowl to Riyan Parag in this T20 series.

1. Pallekele pitch helped

The remaining two matches of the T20 series are also to be played at the Pallekele International Stadium in Sri Lanka.

In the first match, Riyan Parag took full advantage of the spin pitch and troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen. The way he blew away Kamindu Mendis' off stump was amazing to watch. Sri Lankans had no answer to Riyan's lethal bowling. Riyan can stop runs in the middle overs as well as take wickets. In this way, he can prove to be useful for the team.

2. Impressive bowling figures for Assam in domestic cricket

Riyan Parag plays for Assam in domestic cricket and has performed well with the ball in all formats.

Overall, he has taken a total of 144 wickets (50 each in first-class and List-A and 44 in T20).

Riyan had a stellar performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023/24. He took 11 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 24.54 and an impressive economy rate of 7.29. The right-arm spinner likes to bowl in the shorter format, which can benefit Team India.

3. A better all-rounder will be prepared for the future

After Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20 Internationals, Team India is looking for his replacement.

However, there are already many contenders for this in the Indian team. Looking at the kind of performance Riyan Parag has had in domestic cricket, it would not be wrong to say that he also has the ability to replace Jadeja. Along with scoring runs on important occasions, he can also play the role of a finisher.