Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill to be rested for Ireland T20Is: Reports
The Men in Blue are currently on a campaign in the West Indies. Notably, the first game of the two-match Test series saw the visitors win convincingly by an innings and 141 runs, owing to fantastic knocks from Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Rohit Sharma. Three ODIs will be staged after the test series, commencing on July 27, and a five-match T20I series will start on August 3 under the captaincy of 29-year-old Hardik Pandya. The ongoing tour will come to an end on August 13.
Following a four-day break, the Indian squad will return to play another series in Ireland. The two teams are scheduled to play in three T20I series commencing on August 18. According to these reports, the Indian Cricket Board plans to give a break to India’s T20I captain Hardik Pandya, considering the brief gap between the two series and the two forthcoming significant events (the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup). It’s reported that Indian star opener Shubman Gill will also be rested along with great all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the Ireland tour.
Let’s not forget he will be Rohit’s deputy in the World Cup: Indian Cricket Board
“Nothing is finalized yet and it will also depend on how Hardik is feeling after the one-dayers and T20s in the West Indies. There is travelling involved and only a short turnaround of three days before one fly from Florida to Dublin. With World Cup being of primary importance, one has to factor in his workload. Let’s not forget he will be Rohit’s deputy in the World Cup,” an Indian Cricket Board source told PTI, this being quoted by NDTV Sports.
Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya will be a key player in the upcoming ODIs and T20Is against the West Indies. On top of that, eight games (3 ODIs and 5 T20Is) are scheduled between the West Indies and the United States in a span of 18 days. Notably, if he does go to Ireland after the West Indies series, he might go straight to Sri Lanka for the upcoming Asia Cup, which would add to his workload and increase his chances of injury. Following that, the Baroda-born player will head towards the ODI World Cup.
