India may have won the first T20I against Sri Lanka rather comprehensively but despite the victory, captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir were slammed for a tactical decision. Leaving Sanju Samson out and playing youngster Riyan Parag instead. Gambhir, in particular, faced the brunt of the fans' backlash, calling out his hypocrisy since GG once called Samson undroppable in India's Playing XI when he was on broadcasting duties.

However, Samson's absence wasn't felt as Parag left a bit of an impact. Playing only his fourth T20I, Parag was dismissed for 7, but he more than made up for it with his bowling. With his off-spinners and leg-spinners, Parag picked three wickets in 1.2 overs to finish with 3/5. That the Indian team management is clearly inclining towards multi-utility players makes Parag tough to miss out, something Irfan Pathan stressed on his X handle.

"You will see Riyan Parag getting many chances due to his bowling ability. As a top-order batsman, not many in the country have the ability to roll their arm over. This is where Riyan Parag will get an extra advantage, and rightly so," Pathan posted on X.

The curious case of Samson continues to puzzle. He played the 2nd T20I, coming in for vice-captain Shubman Gill, who developed back spasms, but was dismissed for a first ball duck. Earlier, having been left out of India's Playing XI in all matches of the T20 World Cup, Samson played two T20I innings in Zimbabwe, where he scored 12 not out and a 58. But from there to get left out from the 1st T20I against Sri Lanka has upset fans. He had a wonderful IPL 2024 as he led Rajasthan Royals from the front, scoring 531 runs – his most in a single edition of the tournament.

What's with the Samson case?

It is imperative to know that Samson scored his maiden century for India earlier this year when he pummelled 108 against South Africa in Paarl. But the wicketkeeper batter was dropped from the Sri Lanka ODIs, a move that stunned many. Samson enjoys a solid fanbase, possibly next only to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's. So each time he is not playing or axed, such online backlash is common.

As for Parag, a report last week stated that while Gambhir and Co. wanted to pick Tilak Varma in India's T20I squad, the fact that the Mumbai Indians youngster is currently injured forced the team management to consider Parag, more so because of his ability to bowl 'yorkers, and slower balls' in the death overs. As seen on Saturday, Parag's bowling is a bit Sachin Tendulkar-like, as he can bowl both variations of spin. He didn't show his medium-pacer skills but the belief is that he is pretty good that that too.

With teams banking on a strong lower middle more with every series – India themselves are embracing the practice including Axar Patel over someone like Yuzvendra Chahal makes Parag an exciting prospect. And as Pathan pointed out, with India looking for more combinations and options as they slowly march towards the T20 World Cup at home in 2026, Parag surely cannot be ignored. But yes, he won't be interesting anyone if all he does is bowl. Batting is crucial too.

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