India's probable 18-member squad for Ireland T20Is

Fixtures come thick and fast for the Men in Blue after the conclusion of IPL 2022, as Team India are scheduled to play as many as 10 T20Is in a span of just over a month. The selection committee will have one eye on the T20I World Cup scheduled to take place in Australia, later this year. Hence, a handful of players will be given an opportunity to make a claim for their inclusion in the World Cup squad.

After a five-match T2oI series against South Africa, Team India will travel to Ireland for two T20Is. This will be a good opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent, given that a majority of the first-team players will be with the Test squad for the postponed fifth test against England. After their underwhelming performance in the T20I World Cup last year, India have gone on to win 12 consecutive T20 matches, under the new leadership of Rohit Sharma. IPL performance will certainly play a factor in the selection of the squad for the Ireland series. In this article, we look at the probable 18-man T20I squad for the short tour of Ireland.

India’s probable 18-member squad for Ireland T20Is

1) Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad was the standout Indian batter in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League. The 2021 Orange Cap winner has put in a few disappointing performances for Chennai Super Kings in the current campaign. However, a quickfire knock of 70 odd runs against the Gujarat Titans does certainly release a lot of pressure.

The 25-year-old batter was part of the T20I squad that white-washed West Indies and Sri Lanka at home. Hence, he is most likely to be part of the squad for the Ireland tour. Ruturaj Gaikwad has played 3 T20Is for India so far, scoring just 39 runs at an average of 13. With Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul both busy with red-ball duties, this presents a perfect opportunity for Ruturaj Gaikwad to step up with the bat.

The right-handed batter has ample time to get back among the runs in IPL 2022. Ruturaj Gaikwad will look to go into the Ireland series with a clear frame of mind, and that will be possible only if he finds his form with the bat in the latter half of IPL.