India’s talent batter Riyan Parag is well known for his blistering batting and gun fielding. However, the Assamese player showed he has a third dimension to his game, mystery spin. Parag was given the ball by newly appointed captain Suryakumar Yadav and the spinner didn’t disappoint in the first T20I against Sri Lanka at Pallekele on Saturday.

Parag returned with impressive figures of 3-5 in 1.2 overs he bowled. The off-spinner accounted for Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, and Dilshan Madhushanka. Interestingly, Parag had all the three batters bowled.

Parag, who had an impressive run in IPL 2024 for Rajasthan Royals, revealed he prepared his bowling with newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“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,” Parag said in the video shared by BCCI.

Suryakumar Yadav, showered praise on the young batter, stating he has an X-factor.

“This could be a Riyan Parag special only as I have seen him bowling earlier as well during the IPL, at the nets. During the press conference as well, I said that Riyan Parag has an ‘X’ factor,” Suryakumar said in the video.

Meanwhile, the Indian batters did a fine job, posting 213 runs on the board with SKY leading from the front, scoring 58 runs off just 26 balls.

“If batters continue to bat like that and the bowlers will continue helping like that on the ground, then my job will get easier. What the situation was, I set the tempo of the game with my batting. We have so much depth in batting, they have so much skill that if our skill doesn’t work then the others will take care of things.”

The second T20I between the two sides will be played at the same venue on Sunday.