The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has chosen him as the captain for the upcoming tour of Ireland. Hardik is currently playing as Pant’s deputy in the South Africa series.

India will play two T20Is against Ireland on June 26 and 28. The Indian team is scheduled to play a limited overs series against England around the same time. That’s why most of the senior cricketers in the team are not being sent to that series.

Even Rishabh Pant, who is captaining India in the South Africa series, is not in this series. So in the end, the selectors have to look at Hardik. And his deputy on the tour of Ireland will be the team’s senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Just as surprising as Hardik’s captaincy is Rahul Tripathi’s entry into the national team for the first time. Rahul has also played well in the ongoing IPL. However, he was not given a chance in the South Africa series. Rahul has been included in the squad for the tour of Ireland. Suryakumar Yadav has also returned to the team after recovering from an injury. Although he has not yet found a place in the South Africa series, Umran Malik is on the team for the Ireland series. Dinesh Karthik is also there. Sanju Samson is also making a comeback to the national team.

The Indian team for the tour of Ireland
Hardik Pandya (captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishan Kishan, Rituraj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Akshar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.