India squads for the T20Is and ODI series against Sri Lanka saw some major changes. This was the first time Gautam Gambhir gave his input to the BCCI selection committee during the India squad selection as he began his head coach tenure.
Suryakumar Yadav was chosen India’s T20I captain despite Hardik Pandya serving as vice-captain during India's T20 World Cup victory last month; the all-rounder was expected to be moved to captaincy following Rohit Sharma's departure from the format.
There were many youngsters named in the Indian squad as well, but surprisingly, Riyan Parag found himself in both T20I and ODI squads. He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe last month and had a silent outing in two matches.
The move raised eyebrows, especially as Zimbabwe's two top performers, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma, were dropped.
And now a report has revealed that the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management actually wanted Tilak Varma in both the squads.
However, Tilak Varma has been out of action since the IPL 2024 season with a hand injury. He healed from his initial injury at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. But he then suffered an injury to his other hand.
Varma has played 16 T20Is for India since making his debut last year against West Indies. He has scored 336 runs with 2 fifties and a strike rate of 139.41. Tilak made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in Asia Cup 2023 and has made 68 runs in 4 matches with one fifty to his name.
Varma’s injury and unavailability proved to be a boon for Riyan Parag, who was picked in both T20I and ODI squads for India’s tour of Sri Lanka.
"Parag is highly talented and has improved his attitude towards the game by several notches. He's now looking to stay at the wicket. To add to his value, he can bowl decently and is a terrific fielder to boot. The selectors want to nurture him for the future,” a source told Times of India.
India’s tour of Sri Lanka will commence with the T20I series with the first match to be played on July 27 in Kandy. The next two matches will also be played at the same venue on July 28 and 30.
The ODI series will begin in Colombo on August 2nd, with the next two matches on August 4th and 7th.
