Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness is the focus as India play Ireland in T20Is

Less than a week from India’s 2-3 T20I series loss to West Indies under Hardik Pandya – their first, it must be said, to that opposition ever – another T20I series starts in Ireland where this Indian team will be led by Jasprit Bumrah whose last match in the format was in September 2022. And from the squad picked for those five T20Is versus West Indies, only seven are in Ireland because the rest are, in all probability, going to the Asia Cup later this month.

Confused? Don’t be. This is how Indian cricket functions in a jam-packed 2023, where an all-format tour of the Caribbean is followed by three T20Is in Ireland, the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and then the ODI World Cup. If you’re wondering how Washington Sundar is fit enough to go to Ireland and the Asian Games, which overlaps the World Cup, but not to the West Indies or Sri Lanka, it is perfectly logical to do so. Selections of Indian cricket teams in the past 10 months have raised eyebrows, and the recent squad for the T20Is against West Indies was the most baffling: seven bowlers and six batsmen, which left Pandya’s team with a long tail and batting that ended at No 7 with Axar Patel.

These five T20Is versus West Indies were very evidently clouded by India’s ODI World Cup planning. What then, should we expect from three T20Is in Ireland?

The biggest news from this short series, in what looks like being rather damp conditions, is the return of Bumrah after 11 months. He last played international cricket in September of 2022, when he returned from injury and conceded 73 runs in six overs before again being sidelined. Bumrah is back, and his every action on the field in Ireland will be closely monitored given that the BCCI expects him to play the World Cup starting October 5. A maximum of 12 overs in Ireland is far from ideal preparation for a bowler India are so reliant on, but such is the extreme case with Bumrah that anything will work, it seems.

If Bumrah goes to the Asia Cup, where the conditions will be as far removed from Ireland as possible, it will be cutting it very close to World Cup selection. So, in all likelihood, his selection for the World Cup could be based on three T20Is in Ireland and then three ODIs at home versus Australia after the Asia Cup. Never have three matches against Ireland been more important from an Indian perspective.

With an eye on next year’s T20 World Cup, there is a bigger picture to consider. Losing the T20Is to West Indies may or may not have been a surprise to you, but the manner in which an odd assortment of players collectively underachieved with bat and ball does again raise the issue of India’s strategy. The T20I squads picked for the West Indies, Ireland tour and Asian Games have several overlapping players, the majority of whom have been picked for their success in this year’s IPL season.

The likes of Tilak Varma, coming off a strong start to his India career, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are certainties for next year’s T20 World Cup. Washington Sundar is back after a long injury delay and if we look at his stats so far, he is an allrounder the team will bank on for a long time across all three formats. Success in Ireland could even push Washington back into the ODI fray before the World Cup, as crazy as that sounds. Sanju Samson is one of two wicketkeepers in the current squad, and after a very poor run in the West Indies matches it seems he has missed out on World Cup selection. Does he have it in him to launch one final case for being persisted with in T20Is? His legion of online fans will say yes, but practically speaking, Samson has blown too many chances in T20Is.

The vice-captain for this series is Ruturaj Gaikwad, too good a batsman to be sitting out as much as he does. Opening with Jaiswal in Ireland, Gaikwad needs to cash in before he goes to the Asian Games because the competition for opening slots in India’s T20I setup is fierce.

Arshdeep Singh, who took seven wickets in the West Indies series, will have in his mind the fact that he has been overlooked for ODIs. Who knows whether three good matches suddenly pitchfork Arshdeep into India’s ODI plans, given the lack of a potent left-arm pacer? The return of Prasidh Krishna after a long gap is good news for Indian cricket, because 25 wickets in 14 ODIs is evidence enough that the pacer from Karnataka should be persisted with. With no Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal, these three matches in Ireland are massive for Ravi Bishnoi who has struggled to get playing time when the senior wrist-spinners have been around.

Then there is the uncapped Rinku Singh, given his first chance in an India squad after a stellar IPL 2023 for Kolkata Knight Riders. Looking at a transitional team heading into 2024, the time is ripe to see what Rinku has to offer India in the middle order. Ditto for Jitesh Sharma, who keeps performing in domestic cricket and the IPL as a finisher. Shivam Dube is in line for his first match in an India jersey since February 2020, after hitting spinners for fun during Chennai Super Kings’ run to the IPL title a few months ago.

The specter of the ODI World Cup hangs over this Ireland series as well, but not as much as it did in the West Indies and Florida. Bumrah’s fitness aside, let us hope that the Indian think-tank uses these three matches to fine-tune the core for the 2024 T20 World Cup.