Hardik Pandya named captain as BCCI announce squad for Ireland T20Is, Rahul Tripathi earns maiden call-up

Hardik Pandya is set to lead Team India for the first time as BCCI have announced a 17-player squad for the upcoming away T20I series against Ireland. The first T20I match will be played at The Village, Malahide in Dublin on June 26 (Sunday) followed by the second one on June 28 (Tuesday). On expected lines, the selectors have once again named a second-stringed squad with the seniors players being in the Test team for the rescheduled fifth Test against England.

At present, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is leading the Indian side in a five-match T20I series against South Africa. However, the left-handed batter will be joining the senior India side which is going to play against England in the rescheduled fifth Test match. As a result, Pandya has been handed over the reins. At the same time, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been named the vice-captain.

It must be noted that Hardik had an excellent captaincy stint during the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) as his side Gujarat Titans (GT) went on to win the edition in their very first appearance. Pandya was impressive with both bat and ball and led his side from the front. He is continuing his good form in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa as well.

Rahul Tripathi earns much-anticipated maiden call-up

Meanwhile, the selectors have finally given a maiden call-up to Rahul Tripathi, who was phenomenal in IPL 2022 while representing Sunrisers Hyderabad. While Sanju Samson is another notable inclusion in the team, Suryakumar Yadav is set to make a comeback from injury.

With the T20 World Cup taking place later this year in Australia, the fresh faces would like to make a significant mark in the national colours. Meanwhile, the upcoming tour can also see the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik making international debuts as the duo warmed the benches in the first three T20Is against South Africa.

India’s Squad for T20I series against Ireland: 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