Last week, the BCCI named a 17-member squad for the upcoming two-T20I tour of Ireland. With senior players being rested to prepare for the England Test, there was an opportunity for many youngsters including Rahul Tripathi.
However, Prithvi Shaw's name didn’t feature in the list which also had the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Suryakumar Yadav in it.
Shaw, 22, last played for India during the white-ball tour to Sri Lanka in 2021. The right-hander had a decent IPL 2022 for Delhi Capitals, scoring 283 runs at an impressive strike rate of 152.97 before he missed the last few games due to Typhoid.
Meanwhile, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has suggested Shaw to go back to domestic cricket and keep on piling runs.
Kaif highlighted the stiff competition among openers within the Indian team but added that Shaw has got the "X-factor".
"Shaw is still young and there are a lot of openers in the Indian team at present. There's Gill, Agarwal, Rahul, Rohit... yes there's competition but if I were Shaw, I will go back to domestic cricket and Ranji. He's been leading Mumbai, who are in the finals," Kaif told Hindustan Times.
“Go back, get runs. There's still a lot of time for a comeback. I have worked with him. He has got the X-factor with his skills. I see Shaw coming back stronger whenever he gets the chance to play for India again. But like I said, there are lot of good players in the squad and that's why Shaw has probably not been picked for the coming series," he added.
Kaif also lauded Rahul Tripathi, who received his maiden India call-up on the back of IPL 2022 exploits. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Tripathi impressed one and all in IPL 15, scoring 413 runs in 14 games at an incredible strike rate of 158.24.
"When I heard Tripathi getting picked for India, I was very happy. Because he is someone who has done well in domestic cricket and IPL. Be it KKR or SRH, he has been fantastic, looking at the way he is striking the ball. He can come in at No. 3, and play spin and fast bowling really well. I hope he gets a chance to play. I feel someone like Tripathi will grab the chance with both hands. He looks ready for India and hope he plays fantastic knocks in Ireland," said Kaif.
Team India will be facing Ireland in two T20Is on June 26 and 28 in Dublin, where all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be leading the side.
Hardik recently led Gujarat Titans (GT) to the IPL title victory in their maiden season and also performed well during the just-concluded home T20I series against South Africa.
When asked about Hardik's leadership, Kaif said, “He has ticked most boxes in captaincy. He was spot on when it came to winning the toss and assessing the conditions. Hardik's own form was brilliant. He batted at No.3 and 4 during the powerplay and bowled a few overs as well. If you go back to see the auction, you won't say Gujarat is a strong side on paper. But it's how you perform on the field."
