Suryakumar Yadav reveals why Riyan Parag was selected for Sri Lanka tour despite Zimbabwe T20Is failure

India National Cricket Team T20I captain talked about the X-factor of the team ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka National Cricket Team. He called Riyan Parag a player with the X-factor going into the three-match series, which begins on the 27th of July.

India will be taking on Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. It will be the first match for Suryakumar Yadav as the captain of the team. He was appointed leader of the side after Rohit Sharma retired from the format following the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

India have a pretty balanced squad, and it will be a great opportunity for them to rectify the core group going into the T20 World Cup 2026. One of the names that faced a bit of criticism after being included in the team for the T20I series against Sri Lanka was young all-rounder Riyan Parag.

Riyan Parag was selected over Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, and others in the team and this didn't go well with many. The all-rounder was part of the Indian team in the recently concluded T20I series against Zimbabwe National Cricket Team and he couldn't quite set the stage on fire in the limited opportunities that he got.

Riyan Parag getting an opportunity over big names depicts that selectors are looking at him as the future. He, since the last few months, has performed exceptionally well in the domestic circuit as well as in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where he represents Rajasthan Royals.

Riyan Parag was the third leading run-getter in the IPL 2024. He scored 573 runs in 16 matches to go with 4 half-centuries. He stood tall for his team in the big games as well and took them to victory. His consistent performances with the bat saw Rajasthan Royals reaching the playoffs of the tournament.

Ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav came up with a massive praise for Riyan Parag and revealed the reason behind his selection. Suryakumar said that Parag was selected because he has an X-factor, and while speaking at the press conference, he stated: "Ryan Parag has a certain X-factor".

I have always had a special bond with Gautam Gambhir - Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav also talked about his bond with head coach Gautam Gambhir. He said that they share a special relationship and know each other's body language pretty well. He explained:

"I have always have had a special bond with Gautam Gambhir, since 2014. We understand each other's body language."

Both Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav would be eager to start their tenure on high. The duo gel well together as they earlier played at the Kolkata Knight Riders together. While Gambhir was the skipper, Suryakumar was the vice-captain of the team.