[WATCH] Team India players in a jovial mood as they arrive in Rajkot ahead of 4th T20I vs South Africa

Team India players were in a relaxed and cheerful mood as they arrived in Rajkot on Wednesday (June 15) ahead of the fourth T20I against South Africa. The match will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday (June 17).

Having lost the first two T20Is, the hosts needed to win the third game in Vizag to stay alive in the five-match series. They did so with an emphatic 48-run win over the Proteas. They now need to clinch the remaining two games as well to register a come-from-behind victory in the series.

On Wednesday, the BCCI shared a video of the Indian players arriving in Rajkot for the fourth T20I. In the clip, Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is seen in a playful mood, interacting with Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik. The Indian cricket board shared the video with the caption:

“Off from Vizag with a win 👍 👍 On-to Rajkot with a warm welcome 👏 👏 #TeamIndia #INDvSA”

After the Rajkot T20I on Friday, the final match of the series against the Proteas will be played in Bengaluru on Sunday (June 19).

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Hardik Pandya named Team India captain for Ireland T20Is

All-rounder Hardik has been named Team India captain for the two T20Is to be played against Ireland in Dublin on June 26 and 28. The Baroda cricketer recently led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to victory during their maiden season in the IPL.

Hardik had a fruitful season with the bat, scoring 487 runs in 15 matches at an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.27. He also claimed eight wickets with his medium pace and was Player of the Match in the final for scoring 34 and picking up 3 for 17. In the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, he has registered scores of 31*, 9 and 31*.

Rishabh Pant, who is leading the team against the Proteas, and batter Shreyas Iyer have been rested for the Ireland T20Is. Rahul Tripathi earned his maiden call-up to the Indian team, while Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav also found a place.

31-year-old Tripathi has been rewarded for an impressive IPL 2022 season, during which he scored 413 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 158.24. Samson has made a comeback after being dropped for the South Africa T20Is, while Suryakumar makes a return from an injury he suffered during IPL 2022.

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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