Hardik Pandya set to lead India on the tour of Ireland

Hardik Pandya is set to captain the national team for the first time in his international career. Currently, he is leading the Gujarat team in the Indian T20 League 2022. The team has reached the final after beating Rajasthan in Qualifier 1 played at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. The team will play the final in front of their home crowd in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, with the BCCI selectors putting together a second-string team for the home series against South Africa, it is pretty much certain that the committee will select second-choice players for the Ireland tour as well. The reason for this is that the selectors wants the senior players to be fresh for the England tour where they will play one Tests and three ODIs and T20Is.

Meanwhile, one of the selection committee members has said that Pandya has been impressive and has became a responsible player after becoming the skipper of Gujarat. On the other hand, the selectors said that the announcement will be made during the South Africa series , staring on June 9 in Delhi.

“Hardik has been impressive. What is more satisfying is that he has become a very responsible player as a captain. He is certainly in the scheme of things for the captaincy role for the Ireland tour,” a member of the selection committee told InsideSport.

“See, it’s still too early to make any announcements. Hardik is one of the names but a decision will be taken only during the South Africa series. What’s important is that he remains fit and in form. He is a very crucial member of the squad,” the member of the selection committee said.

The all-rounder is part of the home series against the Proteas. The team will play a five-match T20I series against the Proteas. After this series, the team will head to Ireland for two T20Is to be played in Dublin. The matches are scheduled to be played on June 26 and 28.