"Expectations hurts" - Rahul Tewatia reacts after being ignored for Ireland T20Is

All-rounder Rahul Tewatia shared a heartfelt post on Wednesday after he was ignored for the 17-member Indian squad for the two-match T20I series against Ireland.

Tewatia has been in the pecking order after a few stellar seasons in the IPL. He took his game to a new level in the recently concluded IPL 2022, carrying the Titans to victories with jaw-dropping counter-attacks.

After the BCCI announced the squad on social media on Wednesday, the 29-year-old took to Twitter to express his disappointment.

"Expectations hurts."

Tewatia has guided Gujarat to odds-defying run chases this season on a couple of occasions. He amassed 217 runs in 16 games at a strike rate of almost 150.

The southpaw was at his best against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) when he took on Odean Smith to chase down 12 runs from the final two deliveries. Rahul Tewatia produced a similar performance against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), where he and Rashid Khan scored 33 runs off the last two overs to take the Titans home.

The all-rounder created carnage against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). With 71 runs required in the last six overs, the duo smacked nine boundaries and three sixes to chase down the total with three balls to spare. Tewatia was awarded the 'Player of the Match' for his breathtaking 43 off just 25 balls.

With many senior cricketers busy with the rescheduled fifth Test against England, the selectors have named a relatively young squad. However, Rahul Tewatia's performances weren't enough to secure him an India berth.

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Hardik Pandya to lead India against Ireland

The ace all-rounder, who recently guided the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title in their debut season, has been appointed as the captain.

In the absence of many senior cricketers, Hardik will oversee the proceedings in the two T20Is against Ireland. Earlier, he was elevated to vice-captaincy in the ongoing series against South Africa after KL Rahul was ruled out due to a groin injury.

SRH batter Rahul Tripathi has been rewarded with a debut call-up, while Sanju Samson made a return to the squad.

The two T20Is are scheduled to take place on June 26 and 28 in Dublin.

India squad for Ireland T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik