In an already jam-packed schedule for India, the three-match T20I series against Ireland squeezed in between the West Indies tour and the Asia Cup might seem inconsequential, but there are several questions it can answer.
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As teams gear up for the World Cup coming up in just over a month’s time, a second-string India side will be playing three T20Is in Ireland over the space of less than a week. In a seemingly insignificant series lie several opportunities for India to find answers to important questions going forward.
Can Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna prove their match fitness?
After winning, the primary goal of this series from India’s perspective would be to establish the match fitness of returning seamers Bumrah and Krishna. The BCCI shared a clip of Bumrah bowling at the nets yesterday (August 16), where he looked to be back to his threatening best. India management and fans will hope that he, along with Krishna, is able to replicate the same in the three matches.
Both Bumrah and Krishna are important cogs in the wheel as far as India’s seam bowling in ODIs is concerned. While they would need to bowl only four over spells in the T20Is, they won’t have any time to build up their intensity. If Bumrah and Krishna play and bowl their full quota in all three matches and come out unscathed, it would be a major boost for India going forward into a busy couple of months.
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Ruturaj Gaikwad’s opportunity to establish himself as a regular
Gaikwad averages 16.87 from 9 T20Is so far. He has been one of the most promising young Indian batters in domestic white-ball cricket, as well as the IPL, over the last few years. But, he is yet to make a mark in international cricket.
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Shubman Gill, on the other hand, has had a breakthrough year in white-ball cricket. However, following a poor outing in the five-match T20I series in the West Indies where he made four single-digit scores, Gaikwad now has an opportunity to overtake him and establish himself as the first-choice T20I opener. He has also been entrusted with vice-captaincy for the series, his first leadership role in international cricket, and has an opportunity to have an impact in more ways than one.
Last chance for Sanju Samson in T20Is?
Samson made his T20I debut as far back as 2015. Yet, in eight years, he has played just 18 T20Is and averages 18.50 from them. In the recently concluded T20I series against West Indies, Samson played all five games but managed only 32 runs from three required outings.
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India’s squad for the Ireland series includes Jitesh Sharma, another middle-order wicketkeeper batter who has been lighting up the last two seasons of the IPL with his ability to take on all types of bowling. If Samson does not have a breakthrough series, he might fall behind Jitesh in the pecking order, and a comeback might get beyond him.
Jaiswal, Tilak, Dube, and Rinku – four LHBs with different roles
India have struggled with the lack of left-hand options with the bat in white-ball cricket over the last few years, particularly in the middle order. This series, however, provides an opportunity to work towards a long-term solution for that problem. India have four specialist left-handed batters in the squad, each with different skill sets and roles that have brought them here.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal is the trademark new-age T20 opener who can go after the bowling right from the start. Tilak Varma is the near-perfect, versatile middle-order bat who can adapt to different situations. Shivam Dube is the certified butcher who can float around the order and capitalize on positive matchups, while Rinku Singh is the finisher who can pull off miracles and heists like no other.
India would want to use them so that they can maximize their potential and impact in the series. If things fall in place, they can form the core of the Indian T20 batting going forward.
Opportunity for Ravi Bishnoi to establish himself as India’s lead T20 spinner
After playing 10 T20Is in 2022, circumstances meant Bishnoi suddenly found himself out of the team for close to a year. However, he has now returned to the squad, and is the only wrist spinner selected for the Ireland series.
In the absence of Yuzvendra Chahal, who didn’t have the best of outings in the five-match series against the West Indies, Bishnoi finally has a golden opportunity to establish himself as the first-choice leg spinner in the Indian T20I side, something which he has been promising to do ever since he made his debut last year.
A quick wrist spinner who generally bowls with a flatter trajectory and hones in on the stumps, Bishnoi fits the bill as the ideal, modern-day T20 spinner.
