'He's the most mature captain' - Aakash Chopra lauds Hardik Pandya ahead of international captaincy debut

Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has extended his wishes for the newly-appointed skipper Hardik Pandya ahead of the upcoming Ireland tour after the BCCI announced the Indian squad on June 15, Wednesday. Calling Pandya the “most matured” captain, Chopra heaped praises on his captaincy and his performances in the recent past.

The All-India Senior Selection Committee named a 17-member squad for the forthcoming Ireland tour where the teams will be competing in two T20Is, scheduled on June 26 and June 28 in Dublin. Pandya’s name emerged at the top place after his comeback to international cricket post a successful stint as the skipper with the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League 2022.

“Rise and rise of Hardik Pandya. Even though he’s captained only one season…I feel that he’s the most mature captain amongst the younger lot of contenders. Here’s wishing him all the very best for the first assignment for Team India,” Aakash Chopra said on the KOO app.

Rahul Tripathi earns maiden call-up; Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav return

Pandya will be assisted by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been appointed as the vice-captain. Some of the top performers of the IPL 2022 will also be seen in the two matches. While the experienced Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik and Yuzvendra Chahal will be a part of the squad, SRH’s ace batter Rahul Tripathi, prolific pacer Umran Malik and PBKS’ Arshdeep Singh will be up for a new experience.

Tripathi, who missed out on selection for the South Africa series, was recognized for the Ireland tour and got his maiden national call-up. Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh haven’t made their debut ye, in the first three games of the South Africaseries, but there are chances for them to play a game against Ireland.

Suryakumar Yadav, who had to make an abrupt exit midway from the IPL 2022 owing to an injury, has recovered and will be back in the blues. Samson was also impressive at the IPL this year. Though there weren’t any big knocks from his end this time, he managed to score crucial runs in the matches. While the senior pros will be busy with their tour of England, the newly made Indian team will be up for yet another bilateral series.