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Cricket PlayersHardik Pandya to lead Team India in Ireland T20Is; Rahul Tripathi earns maiden call-up as Suryakumar, Samson return
Hardik Pandya has been named the captain of the Indian team for the upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland.
Hardik Pandya has been named the captain of Indian team for the upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland. Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, meanwhile, has been named his deputy for the series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the series on Wednesday.
While Rishabh Pant, who will be with the Indian Test team during the Ireland series as it prepares for the fifth Test against England, will remain absent for this series. In Pant's absence, Sanju Samson makes a return to the squad for the Ireland series.
Additionally, 31-year-old Rahul Tripathi earned a maiden international call-up for the series, thanks to his consistent performances in the 2022 Indian Premier League. Tripathi enjoyed his best-ever IPL season in 2022, scoring 413 runs in 14 innings at a terrific strike rate of 158.24 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In a big relief for the Indian white-ball setup, Suryakumar Yadav also made a return to the squad as he recovered from a muscle injury he sustained during the IPL 2022.
This will be Hardik Pandya's maiden stint as international captain, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar being named his deputy. The rest of the squad is largely similar to the one that is taking part in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa. It is unknown whether KL Rahul is not included due to his injury or his commitment with the Test team for the fifth Test against England.
India veteran Dinesh Karthik, meanwhile, is expected to don the wicketkeeping gloves in the T20I series against Ireland. While Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Umran Malik form the pace attack, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, and Ravi Bishnoi are the spinners in the 17-member squad.
The two T20Is against Ireland will be played on June 26 and 28 -- both at the Malahide Cricket Ground in Malahide.
