[WATCH] Rahul Tripathi receives his debut cap ahead of 2nd India vs Sri Lanka T20I

Maharashtra batter Rahul Tripathi will be making his international debut in the second T20I between India and Sri Lanka on Thursday, January 5.

The match will be extra special for the 31-year-old since he will be playing his first game for India at his home ground - the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

Tripathi was handed his debut cap by batting coach Vikram Rathour ahead of the second T20I, with the captain, head coach, and his teammates cheering him on.

After receiving his cap, the batter also got some words of advice from batting coach Rathour and hugs from some of the players. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of the special moment with the caption:

“Congratulations to Rahul Tripathi who is all set to make his T20I debut for #TeamIndia 🇮🇳👏 #INDvSL.”

The opening for Tripathi arose after Sanju Samson was ruled out of the remainder of the T20I series against Sri Lanka on the eve of the second match due to a knee injury.

An official statement from BCCI on Wednesday, January 4, revealed that Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the first T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, January 3.

He was taken for scans and a specialist opinion in Mumbai by the BCCI Medical Team and has been advised to rest and rehabilitate.

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Rahul Tripathi picked ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jitesh Sharma

After Samson was ruled out, BCCI selectors added Vidarbha keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma as his replacement to the Indian T20I squad.

Tripathi’s Maharashtra teammate Ruturaj Gaikwad is also part of the side for the ongoing series against Sri Lanka. However, the Team India think tank decided to go with Tripathi for the second T20I.

The 31-year-old aggressive right-handed batter had an impressive season for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2022. Batting at No. 3, he smacked 413 runs in 14 games at an average of 37.55 and an excellent strike rate of 158.24, with three fifties.

In his overall T20 career, Tripathi has featured in 125 matches, scoring 2801 runs at a strike rate of 134.14, with 17 half-centuries. He has also claimed 12 wickets with his medium pace and has a five-wicket haul to his name in the format.

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India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I playing XIs

India: Ishan Kishan (w), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Tripathi, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka.