‘It’s your time to shine': Fans rejoice as BCCI rewards Rahul Tripathi with maiden call-up for Ireland T20s

Apart from Rahul Tripathi, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson also returned to the Indian squad.

Rahul Tripathi's wait for a call-up in the national side finally came to an end on Wednesday evening with BCCI declaring the 17-member squad for the upcoming T20Is against Ireland. The middle-order batter, who has been scoring constantly in the Indian Premier League, was finally rewarded for his stellar show in the lucrative T20 competition.

Rahul Tripathi of Sunrisers Hyderabad raises his bat to celebrate his half-century (IPL)

Apart from Tripathi, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson also returned to the Indian squad, which will be led by Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder had led newcomer Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title in the latest edition.

The two-match T20I series will be played on June 26 and June 28, following which the action will shift to England, where the team is scheduled to play the suspended Test from their previous tour. Apart from that, the team will lock horns in three T20Is and ODIs.

Tripathi's call in the national side was celebrated by fans on social media, who had earlier vented out extensively on his snub. Here are a few reactions:

Batting at a strike-rate of 158.33, the right-handed batter had accumulated 413 runs from 14 matches in this edition of the IPL. He had scored 397 in 17 matches in 2021 and was a key player for his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

India squad for Ireland tour: Hardik Pandya (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vc), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik