After taking his first wicket in an international match, Riyan Parag celebrated it angrily, while coach Gautam Gambhir was ecstatic in the dugout.
The likelihood of capturing an Instagram-worthy moment is extremely high when Gautam Gambhir is in the dugout and Riyan Parag is in the middle. The combination of player and coach was excellent. Parag and Gambhir were at their most expressive during the opening India vs. Sri Lanka T20I in Pallekele on Saturday, which marked the start of a new era in Indian T20 cricket.
Additionally deserving of recognition is India’s new T20 international skipper, Suryakumar Yadav. With two overs remaining for each of India’s top two pacers, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh, Surya decided to surprise everyone by giving the ball to Riyan Parag when Sri Lanka required 56 from 24 balls.
Six wickets were still in their possession. While challenging, the necessary rate of 14 was achievable on a real batting surface. That might have influenced Surya’s choice. Prior to that over, he had attempted eight pace overs, during which Sri Lanka had amassed 81 runs at the expense of just one wicket. It was probably best to spin it. However, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel were bowled out. In this scenario of strain, to whom does he turn? Riyan Parag, naturally.
In his fourth outing for India in international cricket, Riyan Parag bowled just his second over (he had earlier this month delivered one over for five runs against Zimbabwe) and looked like a seasoned veteran. To end the contest, he took three wickets in eight balls. However, it was the first over that essentially shut down Sri Lanka.
Notably, Parag removed Kamindu Mendis, a player renowned for his powerful hitting, for just five runs. He bowled it through the air more slowly. The left-hander’s bat was not in the ball when it gripped and twisted, hitting the stumps. Parag felt ecstatic. He gave a thunderous yell in celebration of his first-ever T20I wicket. Coach Gautam Gambhir was another Indian player who was a cocker hoop by that wicket.
Gambhir was fired up, even though he played the majority of the match with a straight face. He screamed, balling his fists together. Was Riyan Parag’s use in the end his idea? He was, after all, on the field ahead of two very good all-rounders, Shivam Dube and Washinton Sundar.
Remember, Parag is no mug with the ball. In 29 games, he has taken 50 first-class wickets, while in T20 and List A cricket, he has taken 94 more. Although his primary style of bowling is leg spin, he is not afraid to surprise batters with seam-up deliveries or the occasional off-break. And he did take the lower-middle class in Sri Lanka by surprise by returning with statistics of
As wickets kept falling, India’s celebrations went on. After losing nine wickets in just 32 deliveries, Sri Lanka was all out for 170 in 19.2 overs after being at 140/1. India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after winning by 43 runs.
The second match will be played on Sunday a the same venue.
