On the 26th and 28th of June, Team India will be involved in two T20I matches against Ireland. This is part of India’s assignment starting this month. BCCI recently announced the squad for this series. Hardik Pandya, who won IPL 2022 with Gujarat Titans, has been appointed as the captain of the squad. Some of the regulars will be part of the Test squad against England and hence, they are not included in this series. Yet, there are a few deserving players who could not get a chance. In this article, we take a look at four players who are unlucky to miss out on the India T20I squad vs Ireland. Before that, let’s take a look at the squad that will travel to Ireland.
India’s squad for the Ireland T20I Series: 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, and Umran Malik.
1) Prithvi Shaw
Mumbai opener Prithvi Shaw is one of the most talented batters in the country. To go with his talent, Prithvi has got a terrific approach in T20 cricket. He puts less value on his wicket, thereby helping his team to take the maximum output of the powerplay. Shaw’s IPL career strike rate of 147 is proof of the same.
India has been infamous for not utilizing the powerplay well. In such a scenario, it is surprising that Shaw has not been included in the team. The delay in selecting Shaw could hamper his development into an elite cricketer.
2) Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is one of the players who are unlucky to miss out on the India T20I squad vs Ireland. As per reports, Rahul Dravid has already communicated the reason for Dhawan’s exclusion from the T20 setup.
However, Ireland is a new project for most of the selected batters. Hence, to add some experience to the unit, Dhawan could have been a choice. He has done well before and more importantly, could have helped the young openers with a few valid inputs.
3) Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Khan took 14 wickets at an economy of less than six in IPL 2022. While he was almost unplayable in the powerplay, he also left many impressed with his skills in the death overs.
While it is understandable that he was not selected for the South Africa series at home, it is surprising that he did not make the cut for the Ireland tour. His height, ability to swing the ball, and pace would have been very useful on the pitches there. Therefore, Mohsin might consider himself unlucky for not getting an opportunity.
4) Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar is also one of the players who are unlucky to miss out on the India T20I squad vs Ireland. At the moment, Washington Sundar is not injured. Yet, he has been sidelined for the T20I series against South Africa and Ireland.
In the spin department, India has selected Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi. Axar has been given a go as the spin-bowling all-rounder. Ideally, Washi would have been very useful in Ireland. He is dangerous when there is bounce available and could have slotted in at No.7 or been a good backup for Axar. With only two games in the series, Bishnoi is unlikely to get an opportunity. Therefore, Washi could have been selected for more variety.
