Hardik Pandya, an all-rounder, has been selected India’s captain for the forthcoming two T20Is against Ireland, with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar as his deputy. Rahul Tripathi makes his first appearance in the squad, while Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson return to India’s middle order. India will play two Twenty20 Internationals in Ireland before travelling to England to play three T20 Internationals. KL Rahul will not play in the series because he has already been ruled out of the lone Test match at Edgbaston.
Pandya got the promotion as Rishabh Pant, who is currently leading the T20 side, will join the Indian Test squad in UK only after the South Africa series. All the players, except Pant, are leaving for England early Thursday for the July 1-5 contest, notable being skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
Meanwhile, Pandya’s time as the captain of the Gujarat Titans, when he led the franchise to their first IPL triumph, has not gone ignored.
Pant has been ruled out of the two T20 Internationals against Ireland, hence Hardik, who is Pant’s deputy for the South Africa series, is anticipated to lead the team.
The lone newcomer in the lineup is Maharashtra right-hander Rahul Tripathi, who was recognized for his outstanding batting performance for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this season’s IPL, in which he hit over 400 runs.
Sanju Samson, whose squandering has been well documented over the years, has been given another chance at redemption after leading Rajasthan Royals to the IPL final.
Final Team: Hardik Pandya (captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Harshal Patel
Also Read: https://clipper28.com/en/india-vs-south-africa-1st-t20-highlights-sa-beat-ind-by-seven-wickets/
