Hardik to captain in Ireland T20Is; Samson, Tripathi picked

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has been appointed captain of a 17-member squad named by the selection committee to take on Ireland in two T20Is later this month. The squad, that features a maiden call-up for Rahul Tripathi and a return for Sanju Samson, is conspicuous by the absence of India's Test team regulars who'll directly fly to England to prepare for the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston.

Pandya was elevated to vice-captaincy and has served as Rishabh Pant's deputy in the ongoing series against South Africa after original captain KL Rahul was ruled out with a groin injury. The 28-year-old recently led Gujarat Titans in their title-winning debut season in the IPL. Experienced swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar will serve as Pandya's understudy in the leadership group.

Among those players playing the South Africa T20Is but will miss the assignment in Ireland include Pant and Shreyas Iyer, who will sync up with the Test squad. Replacing them are Samson and Tripathi, who enjoyed prolific seasons with the bat in IPL 2022. Samson hit 374 runs at 147.24 SR and captained Rajasthan Royals to the finals of the tournament while Tripathi was one of the leading lights in an otherwise forgettable season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, scoring 413 runs at 158.23 SR.

Also returning to the T20I setup is Suryakumar Yadav, who missed the latter part of the IPL and the series against South Africa with a forearm muscle injury.

India will play the two T20Is at Malahide on June 26 and 28. VVS Laxman will serve as the head coach on tour and will be assisted by Shitanshu Kotak (batting coach), Sairaj Bahutule (bowling coach) and Munish Bali (fielding coach).

Squad: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