"A 5 y/o who used to train at my academy" - Kiran More rejoices Hardik Pandya's journey after Indian captaincy

Former wicketkeeper-batter Kiran More has lauded ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was recently appointed Indian captain for the two-match T20I series against Ireland.

Hardik was elevated to vice-captaincy in the ongoing series against South Africa after an injury to KL Rahul meant Rishabh Pant was handed the captaincy. Pandya was handed over the reins in the absence of senior cricketers, who will be busy with the rescheduled fifth Test against England.

More, who first spotted Hardik Pandya's talent as a five-year-old kid, was delighted to see his ward reach the pinnacle of success. Sharing his jubilation on Twitter, Kiran More wrote:

"What a proud moment to see @hardikpandya7's hard work and determination paying off as he has been named India captain. From a 5yrold who used to train at my academy in Baroda to captaining India, what a fantastic journey. Hardwork you put in to make a return deserves applause."

The 28-year-old earned applause for his leadership skills after he guided the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the IPL 2022 title in their maiden season.

The Titans were written off even before the tournament started. However, Hardik inspired his teammates to produce an all-round performance throughout the competition to lift the silverware.

The Baroda cricketer led the team from the front, scoring 487 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of over 130. He also picked up eight wickets, including a three-wicket haul in the finals against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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Rahul Tripathi earns maiden India call-up

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Rahul Tripathi has been rewarded with a debut call-up for the series against Ireland.

Tripathi impressed one and all in IPL 2022, scoring 413 runs at a strike rate of 158.23. The right-handed batter had the best strike rate among the top-order batters and was 15th overall.

Sanju Samson also earned a recall after missing out in the series against South Africa. The Rajasthan Royals skipper had a stellar campaign with the bat, amassing 374 runs. He led the team to the finals before losing to Gujarat.

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