'I am happy that everyone believed in me' - Rahul Tripathi expresses his delight on getting maiden India team call-up

The BCCI on Wednesday announced the squad for the two-match T20I series against Ireland, which is set to start on 26^th June. All the senior players have been rested to prepare for the fifth Test match against England starting 1^st July. Hardik Pandya will be leading this squad with Bhuvneshwar Kumar named the vice-captain of this side.

Among the youngsters selected in the team, the star-batter Rahul Tripathi has finally received his maiden call-up to the Indian team. The right-handed batter had been knocking on the doors of the Indian team with his consistent performances in the Indian T20 league for a long time. In the 2022 edition, he scored 413 runs with an average of 37.55 with a magnificent strike rate of 158.24. He was the backbone of Hyderabad’s batting order throughout the Indian T20 League 2022.

Tripathi’s name was on everyone’s lips ever since Irfan Pathan tweeted about his stellar Indian T20 League record over the years. In the tweet, Pathan expressed his surprise with the fact that how come such a talented player doesn’t get the due recognition he deserves for his talent. Cricket fans were disappointed with the selection committee when they didn’t find Tripathi’s name in the squad for the ongoing T20I series against South Africa.

The 31-year-old batsman was overjoyed with his selection to the team. Sharing his thoughts on his maiden India call-up, he shared a special message. Tripathi said, “It’s a huge opportunity, a dream come true and I appreciate it.”

“I am very happy that the selectors and everyone believed in me and all the hard work I put in has been rewarded. Hopefully, if I can. If I get a chance to play, I will try to give my best,” said Rahul Tripathi, as quoted by The Times Of India.

India’s T20 team for the Ireland series is as follows

Hardik Pandya (capt), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-captain), 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, and Umran Malik.