For the two-match T20I series against Ireland, India has picked a strong 17-man squad, with Hardik Pandya poised to captain the side for the first time. Hardik Pandya has been named India’s captain for their two-match series in Ireland, which begins on June 26 at Malahide. Pandya boosted his captaincy credentials by leading Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title.
KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav are notable omissions from the team, having been nominated in the squad for the present T20I series against South Africa before withdrawing due to injury. Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav have taken their places in the T20I side, with both getting another chance to impress at the international level.
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer were named in the Test side to face England in the rescheduled Test last week, and their places in the T20I side have been taken by Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav. Rahul Tripathi, an uncapped batsman who scored 413 runs at 37.54 in the recently completed IPL, was also called up.
Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik, who are currently in the South Africa team, have also been retained for the Ireland tour. In Pant’s absence, Dinesh Karthik is expected to take over as wicketkeeper, with Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson also being considered. In this tour, there is also a change in management as VVS Laxman has been appointed as the head coach with an absolute new supporting staff from NCA.
Looks like India is desperately looking for a new captain as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and other seniors seem to be taking time for themselves. Even though tour to Ireland may not seem as tough as England or South Africa Series, it will be a serious test for India as the youngsters still need time to adjust to international cricket and forego the IPL hangover.
India is behind 1-2 in the five-match T20I series against South Africa at home, with the visitors winning the opening two games. This squad in this series is mostly dominated by youngsters and they have found it hard to make their presence count.
