A staggering number of quality players have left the Indian team management pulling their hair when selecting the playing XI. Many like Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi did not get a chance to play in the recently concluded India- South Africa series.
The ongoing T20I series against Ireland offers a similar problem of players sitting out and the team management wants to change that. Umran Malik, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh were given chances in the first match. According to a report by Sports Tiger, Sanju Samson would be the next to get a chance in the playing XI.
While answering a question about Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi’s inclusion the former bowler labelled the decision as, “not a tough call at all.”
“Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi have come in place of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Deepak Hooda was already in the squad. Even Venkatesh Iyer didn’t play a match against South Africa. And the kind of performance Deepak Hooda put in the Indian T20 League and in the Ranji Trophy, the whole season he scored runs, then in the Indian T20 League also. He certainly deserved a chance” said the Gujarat coach.
Deepak Hooda grabbed his opportunity with both hands and made an eye-catching 47 off of 29 balls in the first T20I against Ireland. Meanwhile opener Ruturaj Gaikwad missed his batting due to a calf niggle, something that could give Samson a place in the starting XI in the second T20I.
Speaking of the Ruturaj’s injury, captain Hardik Pandya said, “Ruturaj had a calf niggle, and we had a chance to send him out by taking some risk. But I was not okay. For me a player’s health is more important, the match will take care of itself.”.
Hardik Pandya also had a good game against Ireland in which he made a quickfire 24 runs in 12 balls with one boundary and three sixes. He also took a wicket becoming the first Indian captain to do so in a T20I match.
