Hardik Pandya named captain of Indian team for Ireland T20Is; Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson included

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been named Indian captain for the two-match T20I series against Ireland, which will be played in Dublin on June 26 and 28.

Rahul Tripathi, who had an impressive Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), has earned his maiden call-up. The 31-year-old smashed 413 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 158.24.

Sanju Samson, who led the Rajasthan Royals (RR) to the IPL 2022 final, has been recalled. Keeper-batter Rishabh Pant and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer have been rested.

Suryakumar Yadav also makes a comeback after missing the ongoing home series against South Africa due to a left forearm muscle injury he suffered during IPL 2022.

The Indian selectors have announced a 17-member squad for the T20I series against Ireland. Rookie pacers Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik, who are part of the squad against South Africa, have also been retained.

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India’s 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

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Hardik Pandya rewarded for IPL brilliance

Twenty-eight-year-old Hardik has been named captain on the back of a stellar IPL 2022 season during which he led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to victory in their maiden season in the T20 league.

Not many gave GT a chance to make the playoffs as they lacked star names and there were question marks over Hardik's ability as a leader as well.

However, the Baroda all-rounder led from the front, contributing 487 runs in 15 matches at an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.27. He scored four half-centuries, with a highest of 87 not out. Hardik also claimed eight wickets with his medium pace.

He was the Player of the Match in the final against RR, scoring 34 and claiming 3 for 17. In the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, he has registered scores of 31*, 9 and 31*.