The recent failures of Washington Sundar in the two ODIs have also led people to believe that Parag would be the right fit, as he is a like-for-like replacement for the left-handed batter. In the opening two matches, Sundar scored just 13 and 1, and also failed to take a single wicket, bowling just seven overs.

However, Ashwin believes there’s a long way to go for Parag to make it to the ODI team, as he hasn’t batted at the No.5 or 6 spot for a while for either Assam or the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

“Ok, let me try this. Riyan is a fine fine talent, he does have runs and averages 41 in list A cricket. At the moment requirement is to come in at no 5 or 6, give the required thrust and fill in some overs, hence he won’t fit the bill because he hasn’t batted at that number for his franchisee or Assam. He started as a finisher for RR and that didnt work, he succeeded as a good no 3 or 4,” Ashwin wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“Ruturaj has now been given a chance at 4, and that seems out of position for some, but he has batted at 3 in the IPL over the last season or 2, which now looks like an effort to show how versatile he can be. Rutu’s instance could well be a case of communication from the selection front ( either coach, selector or anyone from the management ) or his decision,” he added.

‘Needs to show versatility’

The former Indian spinner also believes that Parag currently needs to demonstrate versatility in domestic cricket to secure a place in the ODI lineup at No.5 or 6.

“At this point of time Riyan needs to show that sort of versatility to be able to warrant a place at 5/6. Humble Submission. We can always agree to disagree,” he concluded.

It is worth mentioning that Parag had made his ODI debut in August 2024 against Sri Lanka. However, he has found himself out of favour since then and has yet to get a look-in.

Parag has also played nine T20Is for India, with his last game coming in October 2024 against Bangladesh. Ever since then, he has not even been selected for the T20I squad.