Analysing Riyan Parag's dismal form amid potential India call-up for South Africa T20Is

Riyan Parag and Virat Kohli - (Source: AFP)

The selectors are in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, the venue for India's 2nd ODI vs South Africa, and the Men in Blue's T20I squad for the Proteas series is all set to be made public on December 3.

A recent report from ESPN Cricinfo stated that Hardik Pandya is all set to return to the T20I setup for the first time since the Asia Cup 2025. Further, it added that Shubman Gill is unlikely to be fit in time from his neck injury.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is all set to be back in the scheme of things at the top in T20Is, and reports added that Riyan Parag is also in contention. The all-rounder made his T20I debut in July 2024 and has featured for India in nine T20Is.

However, it has been more than a year since Parag played for India, and now, just a few months ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, the RR star has a nice chance to prove his mettle. But does Parag really deserve this opportunity? And if so, where will the 24-year-old bat?

Decoding Riyan Parag's India's T20I stats

Let's look at Riyan Parag's stats with the bat

Let's look at Riyan Parag's stats with the ball

Key takeaways

• Parag has failed to utilise the opportunity given to him in T20Is as the right-handed batter has amassed just 106 runs in six innings, averaging only 17.66. Further, with the ball, Parag didn't anything exceptional to continue in the scheme of things as he only has four wickets to his name in five innings. 
• One of the key reasons why Parag quickly went out of favour for the Indian team was him batting out of position. Notably, Parag is a top-order batter, but for India, he batted in the middle-order, which didn't produce the results. 
• More than the change of batting order, it was the volatile nature under Gautam Gambhir's tenure. Out of the six innings, Parag batted at No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7, which is a recipe of disaster for any batter. 

If we look at Parag's India stats, then it is difficult to believe on which basis is he likely to earn an India call-up. 

Riyan Parag struggling in domestic events

Putting Parag's India records aside, his recent performance in domestic events too doesn't vouch for his India selection for the upcoming series against South Africa. Let's look at his recent performances.

Key takeaways

• Riyan Parag had a good IPL 2025 and a nice Australia A series, but things started going downhill for him since Ranji Trophy 2025-26. Notably, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a key platform to showcase their prowess and earn an India selection. However, for Riyan that has not been the case.  
• Parag has played four Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games and amassed just 34 runs, averaging only 8.50. 

Parag's potential selection - Final verdict

Riyan Parag is yet to achieve massive in domestic cricket that justifies his selection. He is struggling across formats with the bat and ball and on top of that, his competitors are actually shining in the same events, where the RR star is failing to impress the critics.

Further, even if Parag do get selected for India, then he will again be a misfit because players are packed up at the top. India have a settled opening pair and with Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma at No. 3 and No. 4, Parag will again have to bat at No. 5, which is not his preferred area. 

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