Cricketer-turned-analyst Irfan Pathan has shared why Riyan Parag will be hard to ignore in the upcoming matches for India. The Men in Blue took on Sri Lanka in the second match of their T20I series yesterday, July 28.

After the match, Irfan felt that the 22-year-old would get many more opportunities because of his bowling skills. Sharing his views on X, he said, “You will see Riyan Parag getting many opportunities because of his bowling skills.”

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The second T20I saw Riyan show his prowess with the ball at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The young all-rounder bowled an economy of 7.50 against the hosts but failed to find a scalp.

Elsewhere in his post, Irfan Pathan also explained what made Riyan Parag special and why he would be an ideal consideration for the team. He mentioned that it was rare to see a top-order batter also handling bowling duties in India and wrote, “As a top-order batsman, not many in the country have the ability to twist their arm. This is where Riyan Parag will get an added advantage and rightly so.”

Irfan Pathan’s bold words for Riyan Parag caught a lot of attention from fans on X. One of them asked for candidates with a similar skill set as Riyan and wrote, “How about Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma? They both can bowl.”

“They also get their chances regularly. I like their skills and attitude on the pitch,” Irfan replied.

Others agreed with the cricket analyst’s praise for Irfan Pathan, writing: “Riyan Parag is a good find. He is a hardworking boy.”

Another said: “It’s great to see Riyan Parag getting a lot of opportunities thanks to his bowling skills.

“His field play is good too,” added another fan.

Initially, India head coach Gautam Gambhir and team captain Suryakumar Yadav were facing intense criticism over a tactical decision in the T20I opener on July 27. The coach and captain had decided to field Riyan Parag instead of Sanju Samson, a decision that did not go down well with the fans.

The tactical decision was taken even after Gambhir had often described the Kerala batter as an ‘undroppable’ asset in the past. However, the decision had little effect on India’s performance as the Men in Blue began their tour with a 43-run win. Parag failed to impress, scoring just seven runs in six deliveries.

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Sanju Samson was added to the playing XI for the second T20I, with Rishabh Pant being dropped for the Kerala batter. Riyan Parag remained in the team as he helped restrict Sri Lanka to a modest total of 161 at the loss of nine wickets.

In the second half, Samson was given a shock dismissal by Maheesh Theekshana, which sent him off for a golden duck. However, a nine-ball 22 from Hardik Pandya ensured India secured a 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka.