Like Rahul Tripathi's fearlessness, he is not far away from India call-up: Ravi Shastri
India Today
IPL 2022: Ravi Shastri heaped praise on Rahul Tripathi, saying the 31-year-old SRH batter does not care about the reptutation of the opposition bowlers and takes them on with confidence.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has backed SunRisers Hyderabad batter Rahul Tripathi to soon represent the senior national team following his performances in the recent past in the Indian Premier League. Shastri said Tripathi has been one of the consistent performers in the IPL and his fearless approach in the middle should make a valuable addition to the Indian team.
Shastri's comments come after Rahul Tripathi smashed a match-winning 76 for SunRisers in their must-win match. against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday, May 18. Tripathi walked into the middle after SRH lost opener, Abhishek Sharma, early but he counter-attacked the MI bowlers in the powerplay, taking on Jasprit Bumrah.
Tripathi hit 3 sixes and 9 boundaries as he got to 76 off just 44 balls, helping SRH post a match-winning total of 173.
Tripathi scored in excess of 397 runs for KKR in IPL 2021 at a strike rate of 140.28 while the clean-hitter of the ball has taken his tally to 393 in 13 matches at a staggering rate of 161.73 this season.
Tripathi has been the lynchpin of SunRisers' batting unit even as their captain Kane Williamson has struggled at the top.
"He's not far at all. If someone doesn't get up from the bench or gets up from the wrong side of the bed and gets injured, this guy can be slotted in straightaway," Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.
"He can go at No. 3 or 4, he's a dangerous player, and should be in the mix. If he's performing season after season, I'm sure the selectors will be watching that very, very closely and giving him his due."
