Former Under-19 World Cup winner Shrivatsa Goswami has sparked debate after criticizing the inclusion of young all-rounder Riyan Parag in the ODI squad amid the ongoing series against South Africa. Goswami later clarified his stand, saying that his comments were about Parag’s preparation for selection at this time.
Parag made his ODI debut during Gautam Gambhir’s first series as India’s head coach in Sri Lanka, where he scored 15 runs and took three wickets. However, they did not receive support in this format. With intense competition for places in India’s white-ball teams, Parag is currently far from contention for another call-up.
Riyan Parag is a quality cricketer – Shreevats Goswami
Srivatsa Goswami said that Riyan Parag is a talented player but added that he is not close to making a place in India’s ODI team at the moment. Goswami emphasized that his comments were about timing and readiness, not Parag’s ability.
Goswami wrote on
There is a lot of criticism here after the name of Riyan Parag was raised. Let’s keep that aside – he is a quality cricketer. My point remains: He is not even close to the ODI setup “at the moment” (quotes are intentional).
Funny how PR gets thrown at me all the time, but when I use… https://t.co/mu9R590Qwq pic.twitter.com/YuYN8eEQBo
-Shrivatsa Goswami (@Shrivatsa1) 5 December 2025
Parag impressed during the unofficial India ‘A’ vs Australia ‘A’ series in Kanpur. The Assam batsman finished as the top run-scorer in all three matches. He scored 187 runs at an average of 62.33, helping India ‘A’ win the series 2–1.
The young all-rounder is a long-term prospect for India. He could go on to become an important figure in India’s white-ball set-up. However, team management may take a call in upcoming assignments.
Funny how PR is imposed on me all the time – Srivatsa Goswami
Srivatsa Goswami hit back at online critics, saying that people were accusing him of “PR”. Goswami said that he did not even check the answers until he received the derogatory information. He said that the game cannot be understood in depth just by watching cricket.
“Weird that PR is forced on me all the time, but when I use it, people get upset. Wasn’t even reading the reply until a notification came with some %#++ words on it. Then I scrolled… random DPs and gamer names everywhere – my point proven,” Goswami further said,
“Following cricket doesn’t mean you know cricket. Unless you’ve played at a certain level, you know how the game works, not the ins and outs of it.”
I don’t care about disagreements – Srivatsa Goswami
Srivatsa Goswami said he was not bothered by disagreements but urged fans not to abuse. He said that blue ticks and number of followers can be bought, but manners and morality cannot be bought and some users will always behave like “bots”.
“I don’t mind disagreement. Just don’t swear – it only shows who you are. Blue ticks and followers can be bought; manners and morals can’t. Some of you will remain “bots” forever.”
Goswami concluded, “Everyone is smiling. Here are some examples. Seeing some of the profiles also catches my attention. Anyway. Have a nice life to all of you.”
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