After being left out of India’s 17-man team for the two-match T20I series against Ireland, all-rounder Rahul Tewatia wrote an emotional message on Wednesday.
After a couple of strong seasons in the IPL, Tewatia has slipped down the pecking order. In the recently concluded IPL 2022, he lifted his game to new heights, leading the Titans to victories with jaw-dropping counter-attacks.
The 29-year-old expressed his anger on Twitter after the BCCI unveiled the selection on social media on Wednesday.
On a handful of occasions this season, Tewatia has led Gujarat to unlikely run chases. In 16 games, he scored 217 runs with a strike rate of nearly 150.
When he faced Odean Smith of the Punjab Kings (PBKS), the southpaw was at his best, chasing down 12 runs in the final two deliveries. Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan put up a similar effort against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), scoring 33 runs off the last two overs to help the Titans win.
Against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the all-rounder played havoc (RCB). With 71 runs needed in the final six overs, the pair hammered nine boundaries and three sixes to finish with three balls to spare. Tewatia was named ‘Player of the Match’ after scoring 43 runs in just 25 balls.
The selectors have picked a rather young group because several top cricketers are busy with the delayed fifth Test against England. However, Rahul Tewatia’s performances were insufficient to earn him a place on the Indian team.
India will be led by Hardik Pandya against Ireland.
The ace all-rounder has been named captain after leading the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title in their inaugural season.
Hardik will be in charge of the two T20Is against Ireland in the absence of many top cricketers. KL Rahul was elevated to vice-captaincy after being ruled out of the current series against South Africa due to a gastro ailment.
SRH batsman Rahul Tripathi has been called up for the first time, while Sanju Samson has returned to the squad.
The two Twenty20 Internationals will be held in Dublin on June 26 and 28.
India squad for Ireland T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-captain), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik, Rahul Tripathi, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan,