Riyan Parag (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has played alongside Riyan Parag at Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, has offered a guarded assessment of the youngster’s immediate prospects in the national ODI side. With India struggling to find late-overs firepower during the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur, calls for Parag’s inclusion have grown louder. Washington Sundar’s poor outings in the first two matches, where he produced scores of 13 and 1 and bowled only seven wicketless overs, have only intensified chatter about Parag being a potential like-for-like option.

Ashwin, however, believes the 23-year-old is not yet ready for a middle-order role in the 50-over setup. He pointed out that Parag has not spent much time batting at No.5 or 6 either for Assam in domestic cricket or for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Sharing his thoughts on X, Ashwin wrote that while Parag is “a fine talent” with a List A average of 41, the Indian team’s current requirement is for someone who can inject momentum in the middle order and also chip in with a few overs. According to him, Parag does not fit that brief at the moment because he has largely operated at No.3 or 4 in recent seasons. His earlier stint as a finisher for RR did not yield strong returns.

R Ashwin post

Ashwin also referenced Ruturaj Gaikwad’s current experiment at No.4 in ODIs, noting that his IPL experience at No.3 suggests a conscious attempt from either the player or the selectors to showcase flexibility. The veteran spinner concluded that Parag must now demonstrate the same adaptability at the domestic level if he wants to seriously push for the No.5 or 6 slot in ODIs. Parag made his ODI debut in August 2024 against Sri Lanka but has not featured since. He has also played nine T20Is, with his last appearance coming in October 2024 against Bangladesh, and has not been part of the T20I setup since.