Rahul Tripathi finally made his much-anticipated debut for the Indian team after being handed his cap in the pre-match ahead of the India vs Sri Lanka contest in Pune. Tripathi became the 102nd player to represent India in the T20I format and the third player to make his debut in the shortest format in the ongoing series. At the time of writing, India have won the toss and opted to bowl first at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune.
Finally Rahul got his chance
Rahul was first named in the Indian squad for the tour of Ireland in June 2022 where he was an unused player. An excellent Indian Premier League for RahulIPL) 2022 season which saw him make the Indian team. In IPL 2022, he scored 413 runs in 14 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and was a vital member of the team even though they could not make it to the last four of the IPL 2022 season. Rahul scored three fifties in the IPL 2022 season with a best score of 76.
Vikram Rathore presented a cap
Batting coach Vikram Rathour presented his cap to Rahul while coach Rahul Dravid also had a few words for the young Indian opener. The team huddled with players surrounding Rahul to mark the special occasion as he became the 102nd player to represent India in the shortest format. In other team news, Arshdeep Singh also made a comeback as India made two changes in the playing XI. Rahul Tripathi, on the other hand, will replace Sanju Samson and try to fill his void.
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan (W), Shubman GillSuryakumar Yadav, Rahul Tripathi, hardik pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Akshar Patel, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal