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What Issues Will India Face While Selecting Playing XI Against Ireland?

Hardik Pandya is all set to lead India during their tour to Ireland which kicks off this weekend. The Men in Blue are set to play two T20I matches in Dublin on June 26 and June 28. The Indian team will be coached by VVS Laxman with Rahul Dravid currently with the Test team in England. It will be interesting to see the team composition, Laxman and Pandya opt for the tour.

Check out India’s squad for Ireland 

India Squad
Hardik Pandya (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vc), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 15, 2022

Most of the players that will feature against Ireland were also a part of the Indian team that played in the recently concluded 5-match T20I series at home against South Africa. While the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson, are making their come-back into the national team, Rahul Tripathi earned his maiden call-up for India after impressing in IPL 2022.

The upcoming series will see players look to impress Dravid with the ICC T20 World Cup round the corner.  However, there are a lot of unanswered questions which have be answered while determining the playing XI for this two-match bilateral series.

Conundrum at the Top

Ruturaj Gaikwad played for India in all the 5 T20I against South Africa. Despite the opportunities, the young opener has failed to live up to the expectations. Gaikwad has not fared well in the Indian kit registering just 135 runs in eight games. The CSK star also boasts a low strike rate of 123.85 which leaves no time for the middle order to set down, forcing them to play aggressively.

There are question marks over his spot in the playing XI. If not Gaikwad, Laxman could opt to feature Sanju Samson or Rahul Tripathi at the top.  However, the duo was picked for solid performances from the middle order in IPL.

The Problem of Plenty

The Indian team on tour to Ireland boasts an abundance of wicket keepers in the team. Despite the unavailability of Pant and KL Rahul, the team touring consists of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik. All the three players are skilled behind the wickets and will be eager to battle it out for the second keeper slot (behind Pant) in limited overs. While Karthik and Kishan sure to feature in the XI, doubts hover over Samsons’ slot in the team. It remains interesting to see how Laxman decides to field three specialist keepers in the team against Ireland. 

Hardik Pandya’s role?

Hardik Pandya started off as a finisher when he joined the Indian team set up. However, he played some of his best cricket as a middle order batter while captaining Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. In the recent games against South Africa, Pandya returned to his role of a finisher and managed to hit the ball at a strike rate in excess of 145 in 3 games. What role does Pandya choose for himself in the upcoming tour against Ireland remains to be seen. He is likely to retain the role of a finisher,  in order to ensure his berth at the T20 World Cup.

 Opportunities for Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh ?

The duo were selected for the series against South Africa for their  fantastic performances in the IPL 2022. However, both the players ended up warming the benches in all five games. They have been great in the shortest format of the game and India will be tempted to give them some exposure at the International level against Ireland.

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