New Delhi. The selection of the Indian cricket team was very surprising this time. When the Indian team was selected for the Sri Lanka tour, many names that seemed certain were missing from the list. At the same time, two new faces were selected in Team India, about whom hardly anyone would have thought. These two faces are Riyan Parag and Harshit Rana. The India-Sri Lanka series is starting from July 27. Both teams will first play a 3-match T20 series. After this, the ODI series will start from August 2.
Riyan Parag is the first cricketer from Assam to be selected in the ODI team. When he was dropped from the playing eleven after the first two T20 matches on the Zimbabwe tour, it seemed that it would take time for him to come back in the team. But when time itself starts taking decisions, then one should not be surprised at anything. When the team was selected for the Sri Lanka tour, Abhishek Sharma and Rituraj Gaikwad were dropped and Riyan Parag managed to save his place. Riyan was selected not only in the T20 but also in the ODI team. Keep in mind that Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh and Ravindra Jadeja could not make it to this ODI team.
Moving on from who got selected and who got left behind, let’s talk about the playing eleven. Will Riyan Parag get a place in India’s playing eleven? At least in ODIs, this does not seem to be a possibility. If the Indian management comes out with its best playing eleven, then Riyan will have to sit on the bench. And not only Riyan Parag, the team’s beloved Rishabh Pant will also not be able to make it to the playing eleven. Let’s know how.
The best playing eleven of any team is the one that is balanced. Balance simply means 5 batsmen (including wicketkeeper), 5 bowlers and one all-rounder. If there is more than one all-rounder, the strength of the team increases. If the Indian team management chooses the playing eleven on this basis for the ODI match, then its top-5 batsmen will be Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. The all-rounder will come at number six and there are only two contenders for that, Shivam Dubey or Akshar Patel.
If the team goes with batting all-rounder Shivam Dubey, then the five players after him could be – Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Siraj. If the team goes with bowling all-rounder Akshar Patel, then the five players after him could be – Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Siraj and Harshit Rana.
It is clear that if the team plays with the best playing eleven in the ODI match, Riyan Parag will not get a place in it. Rishabh Pant will also be seen sitting on the bench. The other side of the coin is that teams do not always play with the best playing eleven in bilateral series. They give a chance to some of their young players in these series or experiment with their combination. Riyan Parag must be hoping that the team management goes with this other side of the coin. It is possible that he gets a chance to bat at number six. He is a part-time bowler and can bowl two-four overs if needed.
Probable Playing XI (ODI): Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
Tags: India vs Sri Lanka, Indian Cricket Team, riyan parag, Team India
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 20, 2024, 13:29 IST