Players in focus ahead of India vs Ireland T20Is
Hardik Pandya's men are all set for the Ireland challenge as the men in blue will take on the Andrew Balbirnie-led side on June 26 in Dublin.
Although it's just a two-match series, players like Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, and Rahul Tripathi would like to give their best and make a solid impression to solidify their case for a ticket to Australia.
These are the key players to watch out for when India takes on Ireland.
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Sanju Samson
Samson has been in and out of the Indian set-up for quite a while now but hasn't really been able to put up performances to cement his place.
Although Rohit Sharma said that a player like Samson, who has extra time, and plays well on the backfoot, will be a good option in Australia, the team already has a lot of batters and very few spots available.
If Samson can carry his IPL form, and execute it a wee bit better in blue jersey, then he can make a strong case for himself for the tournament down-under.
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Ruturaj Gaikwad
Gaikwad showed some moments of brilliance in the home series vs South Africa, but all in all, he was searching for timing and form.
Although Kishan has all but sealed his place as a reserve opener for the World Cup down-under, Gaikwad would want to answer his critics, get back to form and try to be in the mix of things.
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Rahul Tripathi
This IPL season was the one where we truly got to see what Tripathi brings. He is one of the few players who played the attacking brand of T20 cricket that is in demand.
He played for the team, did not take time to settle, attacked from ball one, put the pressure back on the opposition, and accumulated 413 runs in 14 matches at a staggering strike rate of 158.24.
The wait has been pretty long for Tripathi and he would want to make it count.
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Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel has all but solidified himself as a death-over specialist in this Indian set-up. We have seen him bowl well in the IPL for a couple of years now, and in the blue jersey too, Patel has been terrific.
But the conditions in Dublin will be different from that in India and it will be exciting to see how Patel performs in those conditions. When Shami returns to the T20 side, only two of him, Bhuvi, and Shami can play. So Patel would again want to make a strong case for himself.
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Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav will be making his return from the injury in this series. He has established himself as a go-to player for Mumbai Indians and has been performing consistently in the India jersey too.
He is expected to come in at number 3 or 4 and his form heading into the all-important World-cup will be something to watch out for. Many believe him to be the X-factor that a team needs to win a major tournament like the one in Australia, and his form will be up for discussion more often than not.
