Mumbai Indians all-rounder Krunal Pandya is likely to be rewarded for his consistent performances with a maiden national call-up, according to The Times of India.
A senior office bearer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revealed Pandya will be picked in the Indian T20I squads for India's tour of Ireland and England, starting June 27 in Dublin. The 27-year-old will also be part of India A squad for the England tour, according to the report.
The BCCI selection committee will convene in Bengaluru on Tuesday, May 8 to pick six different Indian squads — one each for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, India A tour of England, India A tri-series against England A and West Indies, Ireland T20Is, England T20Is and ODIs.
"Expect Pandya to be part of India's T20 team, the way he's been going about with his game," the senior official said.
Krunal's younger brother Hardik is already an established player for the Indian national team. The 24-year-old, who made his debut in January 2016, is one of the few all-format players at the international level from the country.
Both Krunal and Hardik have been crucial members of MI's title-winning teams of the past. The former was rewarded with an Rs 8.8 crore-worth Indian Premier League contract for the ongoing season.
Krunal has been a crucial part of MI's campaign this season as well as the left-hander has scored 181 runs at a strike rate of 148.36 and picked up nine wickets in 10 matches.
Meanwhile, in the absence of Virat Kohli, who will be spending the month of June with English county championship side Surrey, Ajinkya Rahane will lead the Indian team against Afghanistan in the Bengaluru Test, starting June 14.
The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin along with other Test regulars will be part of the team for Afghanistan's first-ever Test match.
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper and in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik will also be retained in the Indian T20I and ODI squads, according to the report.
