'On what basis?': Riyan Parag's selection in India A team leads to several questions

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ACC Men's Emerging Teams 50-over Asia Cup. The tournament is scheduled to take place from July 13 to 23 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. India's U-19 World Cup-winning captain Yash Dhull has been named the skipper of the squad with Abhishek Sharma as his deputy. One of the most notable inclusions is of Riyan Parag, the Rajasthan Royals all-rounder who has coped a lot of flak for his performance in IPL 2023. 

3 things you need to know

• Riyan Parag was part of the India U-19 squad that won the U-19 World Cup in 2018
• He played under the captaincy of Prithvi Shaw and had Shubman Gill in the same squad
• Parag has not been able to make big impact despite playing IPL for several years

Also Read: Rajasthan Royals Youngster Riyan Parag Receives A Call-up To The Indian Team

Parag's selection for Emerging Teams Asia Cup creates a stir

Riyan Parag was picked up at the IPL 2018 auctions by former champions Rajasthan Royals. He has remained in the same team for the past five seasons but has never put on consistent match-winning performances for the side. Despite his lacklustre performances, the Royals have shown confidence in him over the past few years. Parag, however, has done well for Assam in the domestic circuit. He has been picked in the India A squad to play in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup. The news has sent netizens into a meltdown. 

India A is in Group B alongside Nepal, UAE A, and Pakistan A, while Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Afghanistan A, and Oman A make up Group A. The semi-finals will feature the top two teams from each group. The first semi-final, scheduled for July 21, will be played between the Group A winner and the runner-up from Group B. The second semi-final will be contested on the same day between the Group B winner and the runner-up from Group A. The final match will be held on July 23.

Also Read: 'Decisions I Still Haven't Got Over With': Manjrekar Questions RR For Backing Riyan Parag

ACC Men's Emerging Teams Asia Cup: India A squad and fixtures

India A squad: Sai Sudharsan, Abhishek Sharma (VC), Nikin Jose, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Yash Dhull (C), Riyan Parag, Nishant Sindhu, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Manav Suthar, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Harshit Rana, Akash Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rajvardhan Hangargekar

Standby list of players: Harsh Dubey, Nehal  Wadhera, Snell Patel, Mohit Redkar

Coaching Staff: Sitanshu Kotak (Head Coach), Sairaj Bahutule (Bowling Coach), Munish Bali (Fielding Coach)

India A fixtures

India A vs UAE A - July 13
India A vs Pakistan A - July 15
India A vs Nepal - July 18

Image: Twitter/RajasthanRoyals