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On Wednesday, Riyan Parag made his ODI debut, being named in India’s Playing XI for the third and final match against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Parag, who first earned international recognition during the recent T20I series in Zimbabwe, had previously gained prominence with a standout IPL season where he was the third-highest run-scorer with 573 runs from 14 innings, including four half-centuries.
Despite a quieter performance in Zimbabwe, Parag retained his place in the T20I squad and was also included in the ODI team. Although he did not feature in the first two ODIs, he got his chance on Wednesday due to changes made by the Indian team for this crucial match.
The moment was made even more special for Parag as he received his first ODI cap from his idol, Virat Kohli, who presented it to him just before the game commenced.
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In addition to Riyan Parag’s debut, India has also brought Rishabh Pant back into the Playing XI for the series-deciding match. Pant replaces KL Rahul, and Arshdeep Singh makes way for the inclusion of Parag. This will be Pant’s first ODI appearance since November 2022.
“Plenty to play for, we’ve been challenged in the last two matches. It’s clear as to what we need to do with the bat and ball. We’ve addressed it – what we need to do as a group,” Rohit Sharma said at the toss.
“You got to give credit to the opposition, they played well and understood the position well. Another opportunity for us to correct. Two changes. We have Rishabh and Riyan Parag in place of KL and Arshdeep,” he added.
India needs to secure a victory in the current match to level the series. Sri Lanka currently holds a 1-0 lead.
