Former India spinner R Ashwin, who has shared the dressing room with Assam star Riyan Parag at Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), says the young all-rounder cannot be included in the Indian ODI team right now because he has not demonstrated enough variety in domestic cricket.

Given that the hosts failed to score many runs in the final overs in the second ODI in Raipur against South Africa, the call for Parag to join the ODI team is still growing.

Given that Parag is a like-for-like substitute for the left-handed batter Washington Sundar, and given his recent shortcomings in the two ODIs, some have also been led to think that Parag would be a good fit. Sundar bowled just seven overs in the first two games, scoring just 13 and 1 while failing to grab a single wicket.

However, Ashwin believes there's a long way to go for Parag to make it to the ODI team, as he hasn't batted at the No. 5 or 6 spot for a while for either Assam or the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

“Ok, let me try this. Riyan is a fine, fine talent; he does have runs and averages 41 in List A cricket. At the moment the requirement is to come in at no. 5 or 6, give the required thrust, and fill in some overs; hence, he won’t fit the bill because he hasn’t batted at that number for his franchisee or Assam. He started as a finisher for RR, and that didn’t work; he succeeded as a good no. 3 or 4,” Ashwin wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Ashwin further praised Ruturaj Gaikwad for making the most of the chances he has gotten in the South Africa ODIs. This comes after Gaikwad scored his maiden ODI ton in the second game in Raipur, adding 195 runs with Virat Kohli, who also hammered a ton.

“Ruturaj has now been given a chance at 4, and that seems out of position for some, but he has batted at 3 in the IPL over the last season or 2, which now looks like an effort to show how versatile he can be. Rutu’s instance could well be a case of communication from the selection front (either the coach, selector, or anyone from the management) or his decision,” he added.

Ashwin also thinks that to guarantee a spot at No. 5 or 6 in the ODI lineup, Parag must now show variety in domestic cricket.

“At this point in time Riyan needs to show that sort of versatility to be able to warrant a place at 5/6. Humble Submission. We can always agree to disagree,” he concluded.

Check here:  

Riyan Parag has only played one ODI to date, a match against Sri Lanka in August 2024. In his debut, the all-rounder scored 15 runs and took three wickets.