IND vs SA: "I Think We Were Saying The Same Thing About Suryakumar Yadav Last Year" - Virender Sehwag Unhappy With Rahul Tripathi's Absence From Indian Squad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday declared the 18-member Indian squad for the approaching five-match T20I series against South Africa. While the declaration saw the arrival of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik back into the Indian team, which will be driven by KL Rahul without a trace of huge names.

It additionally saw the maiden call-ups of Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh. Meanwhile, out of form all-rounder, Venkatesh Iyer was also fortunate enough to get a place in the squad. However, a shock exclusion of uncapped star Rahul Tripathi left former cricketer Virender Sehwag frustrated.

Rahul Tripathi Has To Be Patient: Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag contrasted Tripathi’s situation with that of Suryakumar Yadav. The Mumbai Indians player continued to knock on the entryways of the selectors throughout the course of recent years with his great thumps in IPL before he came to the Indian squad in 2021 and was subsequently picked for the T20 World Cup team too.

“I think we were saying the same thing about Suryakumar last year. Patience is a virtue,” he told Cricbuzz.

Tripathi has long gone unnoticed notwithstanding great knocks. In this season, Tripathi has scored 393 runs in 13 matches at an average of 39.30 and a strike rate of 161.72. The count likewise contains three fifties with a top score of 76.

Matthew Hayden Also In Support Of Rahul Tripathi

Prior, Australia legend Matthew Hayden had supported Tripathi to make the Indian side for the T20 World Cup too.

“I just love his ability to go hard upfront. The way Tripathi is taking the responsibility to strike the ball hard is brilliant. I think he has the real potential in the future to go all the way to the international level,” Hayden told Star Sports.

Meanwhile, the team management has decided to give some rest to senior players. The likes of Virat Kohli, captain Rohit Sharma and pacer Jasprit Bumrah will all miss the series against South Africa.

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