Hardik Pandya hints at Indian debuts during Ireland T20Is

India's stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya has hinted at a couple of debuts in the upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland. However, Hardik also said that the utmost priority will be fielding India's best XI.

The Indian squad includes as many as three uncapped players in Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, and Rahul Tripathi.

"We want to give the opportunity to people but want to play our best XI as well. There will be situations where there will be a couple of caps given but more than anything, it's about making sure that we have the best XI," Hardik said in the pre-match conference on Saturday.

In the recently concluded home series against South Africa, India did not hand any new caps. Captain Rishabh Pant chose to stick to his combinations, especially after India lost the first two games of the three-match T20I series. Eventually, the series ended in a 2-2 draw after the decisive fifth game was washed out by rain in Bengaluru.

Hardik's press conference could mean either Umran or Tripathi could make their India debut after having an impressive Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Playing only his second IPL, Umran picked up 22 wickets earlier this year and was the fourth leading wicket-taker in IPL 2022. Tripathi, who made his IPL debut in 2017, scored 413 runs in 14 games in IPL 2022, and that included three half-centuries.

IRE vs IND: Not here to show anything to anybody, says Hardik Pandya

Hardik captained Gujarat Titans (GT) to IPL glory this year in their maiden appearance in the tournament. Several pundits have already begun to suggest the all-rounder's name for India's future captain. The upcoming two T20Is against Ireland is a great opportunity for Hardik to further strengthen that argument.

"I am not here to show anything to anybody. I have got an opportunity to lead India, which itself is a big thing for me. I don't play this sport to show anything to anybody. I am good enough. I will see in the future, otherwise more than anything I am just focussing on what I can bring in this series," added the GT skipper.

Hardik was the Player of the Match in the IPL 2022 final for his all-round contribution. The GT star finished with figures of 3 for 17 in four overs, while he scored a crucial 30-ball 34 in GT's successful chase against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Hardik's tally of runs in the tournament was 483 runs in 15 games at an average of 44.27 and strike rate of 131.26. He was the fourth leading run-scorer in the tournament.