Rahul Tripathi played yet another blinder to help SunRisers Hyderabad beat Mumbai Indians on Tuesday to keep alive their slim hopes of making it to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 playoffs. Tripathi smashed 72 off just 44 deliveries, hitting nine boundaries and three sixes, as SRH posted a total of 193/6, before Umran Malik‘s three-wicket haul helped them restrict MI to 190/7 to register a three-run victory. Tripathi has been in fine form for SRH this season, scoring 243 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 161.73, with three half-centuries so far.
Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri said that his consistent displays in the IPL in recent years and his fearless brand of cricket means he is not far away from getting an India call-up.
“He’s not far at all. If someone doesn’t get up from the bench and gets up on the wrong side of the bed and gets injured, this guy can be slotted in straight away,” Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo when asked how far Tripathi is from getting his India cap.
“And anyway, he can got at No.3 or No.4. He’s a dangerous player and should be in the midst,” Shastri added while speaking in the mid-innings break of the match between Mumbai Indians and SunRisers Hyderabad.
“For just what he has done, if you want to value performances in domestic cricket, this is the biggest domestic cricket league. So if he’s come season after season performing, I’m sure the selectors will be watching that very very closely and giving him his due,” the former all-rounder said.
Earlier, he was asked if Tripathi is a good backup option for Suryakumar Yadav in the national setup and he said “No question about that.”
He also said that including him in the national team won’t be a knee-jerk reaction to one good season.
“You can’t say that ‘one swallow doesn’t make a summer’. He’s been around for a bit,” Shastri said.
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“And what I like about his game is the fearless cricket that he plays. He’s got a tag of being a known quantity and someone the opposition wants to get out quickly. Irrespective of that, he comes out and plays his game. And his shot-making ability, the all-round game he has, he’s not overawed by any opposition or any bowler, which is great to see,” Shastri said about the 31-year-old.
So far in his IPL career, Rahul Tripathi has played 75 matches since making his debut in 2017 and scored 1778 runs at a strike rate of 141.22.
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