'I bowl as much as I can behind the scenes' - India's surprise element Riyan Parag opens up about his bowling in 1st T20I against Sri Lanka

India's victory against Sri Lanka in the 1st T20I on July 27th would be incomplete without giving credit to Riyan Parag for his bowling efforts in the 17th and the 19th over. He came into bowl in the 17th over which felt like an experiment from captain Suryakumar Yadav since India was already on the verge of winning the match. However, in a video released by BCCI, Parag opened up about his interest in bowling and that the management had already told him to bowl in the death over. 

"I love bowling. I bowl as much as I can behind the scenes. At the nets, there was a lot of communication regarding where to bowl and how to bowl. There were preparations for such situations with Gautam sir. If I get bowling in the 16th and the 17th over and the wicket is spinning, then where I have to bowl. The boys made it easier for me, I just had to bowl stump to stump, and the ball was turning as well," said Riyan Parag.

Parag took one wicket in the first over of his spell and two wickets in two consecutive balls in the second over. He batted brilliantly despite coming at the end of the 16th over. With the kind of all-round performance Parag is showing, seems like Shivam Dube will have to warm the benches for a long time now. 

It is great batting with him and we compliment each other: Shubman Gill

India's vice-captain and opening batter, Shubman Gill, spoke about his chemistry with Yashasvi Jaiswal as the opening pair fired up at the start of the innings. Both are known to be destructive batters, and hence, Gill feels like they complement each other in the team. Moreover, the left-right combination also favours the team. 

"Not really (panicked). We spoke about having good communication and we knew we just needed one wicket (when SL were 140/1). It is great batting with him (Jaiswal) and we complement each other. Our style is different, our plan is simple - assess the conditions and then take on the bowlers. When you are opening the innings, see how the pitch is behaving and play accordingly (that's the plan)," said Shubman Gill.