IRE vs IND 2022: 6 players who made their T20I debut against Sri Lanka in 2021 but were not picked for Ireland tour
Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, India will play Ireland in a two-match T20I series, starting June 26. Even though India do not have a full-strength team, they will start as the favorites to win both matches.
14 out of 17 players present in the Indian team for the ongoing series against South Africa have retained their place in the squad for the Ireland tour. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer were unavailable due to the England tour, while KL Rahul is injured. Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson replaced them.
Speaking of second-string Indian teams, a 'B' team from India traveled to Sri Lanka last year for three ODIs and three T20Is. Multiple IPL stars made their debuts in that series, but not all of them have been picked for the Ireland tour. Here's a list of six such players.
#1 Prithvi Shaw was surprisingly ignored for Ireland tour
Prithvi Shaw made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka but got out for a golden duck. He missed the other two games due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp.
Despite having performed well for the Delhi Capitals in IPL matches, Shaw is yet to play a game after his forgettable debut against Sri Lanka.
#2 Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy made his debut against Sri Lanka and went on to play for the country in the T20 World Cup 2021. However, he was dropped from the team after the mega event.
It seems like Varun is not a part of the T20 World Cup plans this year because he was not picked for the Ireland tour either.
#3 Chetan Sakariya
Chetan Sakariya made his debut in the second T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka, picking up one wicket.
He played in the third game as well but did not bowl any deliveries. After IPL 2022, Arshdeep Singh has overtaken Sakariya in the race to be India's left-arm pacer in T20Is.
#4 Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal moved from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to Rajasthan Royals (RR) this year, and his numbers dipped a bit as he was demoted from the opener's spot to a role in the middle-order. Padikkal tried his best to adapt to the middle-order batter's role, but could not replicate his past performances.
After an ordinary outing against Sri Lanka in his debut series, the selectors ignored Padikkal for the subsequent series.
#5 Nitish Rana
🧿Things will change soon 🇮🇳🧿
Nitish Rana has been a consistent performer for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. However, he was not picked in the squads for the series against South Africa and Ireland.
Rana made his T20I debut last year, scoring 15 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 55.55. It looks like he will have to work harder to get another chance to wear the India blue.
#6 Sandeep Warrier
bit.ly/SLvInd3rdT20ITears of joy! ☺️
The wait is finally over. Welcome to international cricket, Sandeep Warrier. 👏 👏
Go well! 👍 👍 #TeamIndia #SLvIND
Follow the match 👉 bit.ly/SLvInd3rdT20I https://t.co/KwHAnlO3ZQ
Sandeep Warrier returned with figures of 0/23 in his debut T20I against Sri Lanka. He traveled with the squad as a net bowler but got an opportunity to play in the third T20I.
Interestingly, Warrier went unsold at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction and was not picked for the T20I series against Ireland either.