By: Mohit Singhal
IND Vs IRE: A 17-member strong contingent has been announced for the Ireland tour that will be led by IPL 2022 title-winning captain for newbies Gujarat Titans; Hardik Pandya.
Kerala batter Sanju Samson has been recalled for the two-match T20I series tour while Rahul Tripathi earned his maiden Call-Up in International after a stunning display in the Indian Premier League.
Deputy of Rishabh Pant in the ongoing series against South Africa, Hardik finally came to the throne against the Irish team where neither Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer nor Rishabh Pant will be available because of their duties in England.
The one-off Test against England will be played from July 1 at Birmingham.
After a successful first stint with the Titans, the 28-year-old hard-hitter has asserted his name to the future leaders of the Indian team and this is just one specimen of his calibre.
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will serve as a deputy of the Hardik Pandya.
After leading the 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals to runner-up in IPL-2022, Sanju has once again laid his name against the selectors table and as a reward, the 27-year-old received a comeback call for a short tour that can be helpful for the near future when a limited-overs squad for England tour will be selected.
After performing so consistently in IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous seasons, Rahul was in the contention list for most of the experts and fans and to the expectations; the Ranchi fellow got the nod to travel to Ireland.
“I am very happy that the selectors and everybody believed in my strengths and whatever hard work I have put in, I have got the rewards and hopefully, if I get an opportunity to play, I will try and give my best,” Tripathi rejoiced after his first call-up.
It will be interesting to watch how well the new skipper can turn out things easy and fit the things in a short tour. Well, who will keep the wickets will be a stand-out question ahead of Hardik?
Looking at the squad, Kartik seems to be the choice as a designated keeper with Ishan and Samson to assist him over any given condition.
Surya Kumar Yadav has also been named in the squad who missed the more IPL and Proteas series after sustaining a wrist injury.
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.
