India squad for Sri Lanka tour: 'Riyan Parag's inclusion, Shubman Gill as vice-captain' - Former cricketer highlights key takeaways

NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has shared his thoughts on the recent squad selection for India's upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Chopra focused on notable selections, including the inclusion of Riyan Parag despite his lackluster performance in the recent T20I series against Zimbabwe, and the appointment of Shubman Gill as the vice-captain over Hardik Pandya.
Team India is scheduled to play three T20Is and three ODIs against Sri Lanka, starting on July 27 in Pallekele.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Chopra delved into the T20I squad unveiled for the series. He highlighted Shubman Gill's new role and Parag's selection over other strong performers like Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

"Shubman Gill is the vice-captain, and that's a big story. Hardik Pandya was the Indian team's vice-captain in the World Cup. He also performed very well. India won the World Cup as well, but after that, his name is not there as vice-captain," Chopra remarked.

"Riyan Parag's name is there in both teams, in ODIs as well as T20Is. His name is there despite his Zimbabwe tour not being that good. Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad's names are not there. I am talking about T20Is. Both their names are not there, but Riyan Parag's is there. That says something," the former India opener added.
Parag managed only 24 runs at a strike rate of 88.88 in two innings during the T20I series against Zimbabwe. In contrast, Abhishek Sharma scored 124 runs, including a century, at a strike rate of 174.64 in four innings, while Gaikwad tallied 133 runs at a strike rate of 158.33 in three innings.
The series against Sri Lanka will certainly be under scrutiny, with the first T20I set for July 27 in Pallekele and the ODIs commencing in Colombo on August 2.