Dinesh Karthik set to captain India in warm-up match against Derbyshire ahead of IND vs ENG 2022 T20I series

Dinesh Karthik made his return to international cricket last month (Image: Getty)

Veteran wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik will lead the Indian team later tonight in their warm-up fixture against Derbyshire (July 1). India will play two warm-up T20s in England before their three-match T20I series against the Jos Buttler-led outfit.

The first T20 will start tonight at 11:30 PM IST while the second game will take place on Sunday against Northamptonshire. Fans expected Hardik Pandya to lead the Indian squad in the two warm-up fixtures. However, it now appears the all-rounder will be rested during these games.

Earlier today, reports surfaced online claiming that Dinesh Karthik will play the skipper's role for India in the two warm-up matches. Karthik's IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore confirmed the reports with the following tweet:

"Mr. Finisher Supreme will be leading #TeamIndia in the two T20 warm-up games against Derbyshire and Northamptonshire."

Mr. Finisher Supreme will be leading #TeamIndia in the ✌️ T20 warm-up games against Derbyshire and Northamptonshire. 👊

The first game starts today at 9:30 PM. Let's hear it for our very own @DineshKarthik. 🔊 🙌

#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers https://t.co/dCrG5Ame4V

Karthik has never captained the Indian team at the international level before but he has much leadership experience under his belt. He has led the Tamil Nadu domestic team and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in the past. It will be exciting to see how the Indian team performs under Karthik's captaincy.

Dinesh Karthik did not have a memorable tour of Ireland

Dinesh scored his maiden T20I fifty against South Africa last month.

While Karthik had a fantastic series against South Africa at home, he could not make much of an impact in the recently-concluded series against Ireland. The job was almost done in the first T20I when Karthik came out to bat as he remained not out on five runs off four balls in a successful run-chase.

Indian captains in 2022:

Virat Kohli lead in SA tests.
KL Rahul lead in SA ODI.
Rohit Sharma lead in SL & WI series.
Pant lead in SA T20.
Hardik lead in IRE T20.
Bumrah leading in ENG Test.
Dinesh Karthik will lead in 2 T20 Warm-up matches.

In the second T20I, Karthik lost his wicket for a golden duck after coming out to bat in the 19th over. India had a mini-collapse after that wicket. Karthik will be keen to improve his performance against England.