India name all-rounder as captain for Ireland T20Is
Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title to boost his captaincy credentials, has been handed the reins of the Indian side for their two-match series in Ireland, starting in Malahide on 26 June.
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Notable absentees from the squad are KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav, who were initially named in the squad for the ongoing T20Is against South Africa before withdrawing due to injuries.
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer were named in the Test side to take on England in the rescheduled Test last week, and their places in the T20I side have been occupied by Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav, both getting another chance to impress at the international level.
The uncapped Rahul Tripathi, who accumulated 413 runs at 37.54 in the recently concluded IPL, also received a call-up.
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Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik, currently in the squad for the South Africa series, have also retained their spots for the Ireland tour.
In Pant's absence, Dinesh Karthik will likely take up the wicket-keeping duties, with Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson also available for the role.
India currently trail South Africa 1-2 in the five-match T20I series at home, with the visitors winning the first two matches. India got one back in Visakhapatnam, with Yuzvendra Chahal claiming 3/20 to help bowl out South Africa for 131.
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**Squad:**Hardik Pandya (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi****Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.