If reports are to be believed, then Riyan Parag of Assam and Rajasthan Royals might be up for a surprise inclusion in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20I series at home against Australia. This series will be played after the conclusion of the ICC World Cup 2023 tournament.
The five-match series will kick off just after the World Cup on November 23. Australia has already named its squad for the series, which will be captained by Matthew Wade.
It is expected that several of the first-choice Indian stars will be rested for this T20I series after a grueling World Cup tournament. Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, and others will be rested for the Australia T20Is.
And reports have suggested that either Hardik Pandya if he is fit, or Ruturaj Gaikwad will captain the Indian team against Australia. Pandya has been earmarked as the next Indian white-ball captain and Gaikwad led the Men in Blue to a gold medal in the recent Asian Games 2022 in China.
Riyan Parag Likely To Get India Call Up For Australia T20Is After Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Performance
As per a Times of India report, Riyan Parag, who has smashed a record seven consecutive fifties for Assam in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, is set to receive his first India call-up for the T20I series against Australia.
With 510 runs in 10 matches at an average of 85.00 and an incredible strike rate of 182.79, Parag is so far the top run-getter in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy in this edition and was the stellar performer in Assam’s amazing march to the semifinals of the tournament. He also picked 11 wickets with a best of 3/9.
Parag was also the highest run-getter in the Deodhar Trophy this season, scoring 354 runs in five games with two hundreds and one fifty, besides taking 11 wickets for East Zone.
“Parag has been performing consistently in domestic cricket this season. It’s hard to ignore his all-round performances. To add to his worth, he’s also an excellent fielder,” a source said to Times of India.
Report further added that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might make a surprise comeback into the Indian team as the selectors are set to rest most of the Indian players including the pacers currently playing in the World Cup for this series.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has picked 11 wickets@9.31 and an economy rate of 5.84, including a best haul of five for 16 against Karnataka in the SMAT for Uttar Pradesh.
“The selectors are likely to rest all the senior bowlers. In such a scenario, we need an experienced seamer like Bhuvneshwar to lead the attack. He may be recalled,” a source said.
