It was a ‘dream come true’ moment for Rahul Tripathi when he found himself in the 17-men squad for the Ireland T20Is. He has been knocking at the selectors’ door for quite a long time with his notable batting performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic circuit.
Tripathi getting overlooked for the South Africa series at home caused quite a stir on social media. The fans expressed their disappointment over the selectors for ignoring the batter who had scored 413 runs in 14 games in IPL 2022. Better late than never, he finally received his maiden call-up and is set to represent India in Ireland.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has heaped rich praise on the 31-year-old batter, stating that Tripathi has a great ‘shot-making ability’ and is not overawed by any opposition bowler.
“When he is there at the crease, the scoreboard is ticking. He doesn’t go behind the edged ball”, Shastri told ESPN Cricinfo in a discussion.
“Shot-making ability, the all-round game that he has, he’s not overawed by any opposition or by any bowler. He’s scoring at a great rate. You know which is tremendous at no.3 because he sets it up beautifully”, he further added.
Tripathi has been grabbing the limelight since IPL 2017 when he made his debut for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant and scored 391 runs. Thereafter, he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders till 2021, scoring 994 runs across four seasons.
Tripathi had termed his maiden India call-up, a result of his enormous hard work put in over the years.
“It is a very big opportunity, a dream come true (moment), and (I) appreciate (it),” Tripathi had told PTI.
“I am very happy that the selectors and everybody believed in me and whatever hard work I have put in, I have got the rewards. And hopefully, if I get an opportunity to play, I will try and give my best,” he added.
Tripathi, who has played for the prestigious Deccan Gymkhana club, one of the oldest in Pune, has 2,540 First-class runs from 47 matches. He has also captained Maharashtra in domestic cricket.
(With Agency Inputs)
Get all the latest updates on Cricket News, Cricket Photos, Cricket Videos and Cricket Scores here