Experienced Maharashtra batter Rahul Tripathi has represented India in only five T20Is so far but did enough to impress former batter and current national head coach Gautam Gambhir. During an interaction in January 2023, Gambhir hailed Tripathi for his aggressive batting approach in T20Is.
Tripathi (33) made a belated international debut during the T20I series at home against Sri Lanka in Pune in January 2023. The hard-hitting right-hander was given a run of five matches where he scored 97 runs at an average of 19.40 and a strike rate of 144.77.
The batter was dismissed for five on his T20I debut against Sri Lanka but followed it up with 35 off only 16 balls in the next match in Rajkot. Tripathi's entertaining cameo featured five fours and two sixes. Gambhir was highly impressed by the right-hander's aggressive approach.
Praising the Indian batter while discussing the game, he had told Star Sports:
"If you talk about Rahul Tripathi, he is a player who has batted at every number for his franchise and state. He can open, play at No. 3 or in the middle order, but his approach remains the same whether he plays against the new ball or in the middle order. You want to see players like him.
"Chamika Karunaratne did not bowl too many bad deliveries but it was Rahul Tripathi's quality because of which he proved that expensive," the 43-year-old had gone on to add.
Tripathi was retained for the three-match home series against New Zealand. The batter was dismissed for a six-ball duck in the first T20I in Ranchi, caught behind off Jacob Duffy. Tripathi struggled for 13 off 18 in the next match in Lucknow but hammered 44 off 22 balls in the final T20I in Ahmedabad. Ironically, he hasn't played any match for India since then.
Why Rahul Tripathi could find it tough to make a comeback into the Indian T20I squad
While Tripathi did reasonably well during his short stint with the Indian team, a comeback seems highly unlikely, unless he delivers something exceptional in the IPL. He will turn 34 in March 2025 and the competition for places is intense.
The likes of Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma impressed in 2024 in T20Is. Abhishek Sharma is likely to get a decent run, while Rinku Singh has established himself as a finisher. Even a proven T20 star like Ruturaj Gaikwad is finding it difficult to seal a place in the T20I XI, so the road ahead is tough for Tripathi.
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