By India Today Sports Desk: Jasprit Bumrah will make his long-awaited return to international cricket in Ireland in August. The star pacer, who was sidelined since September 2022, has been named captain by the Ajit Agarkar-led senior men’s team selection committee as the BCCI announced the squad for the 3-match series, starting August 18 in Dublin.
While T20I captain Hardik Pandya has been rested, the selection committee has picked quite a few players from the Asian Games squad in a bid to make sure they get opportunities at the highest level before representing India at the continental multi-sport event in September-October in China.
Jasprit Bumrah had been grappling with a back injury issue and missed the T20 World Cup last year in Australia. His last appearance was in a T20I series against Australia in September 2022. The persistent back issues led to Bumrah undergoing surgery in New Zealand in March 2023, which was deemed successful by BCCI. Post-surgery, Bumrah embarked on an extensive rehabilitation process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Notably, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had said earlier in July that Bumrah was ready to return to action. Bumrah’s comeback is good news for the ODI team as well as the star pacer is all set to be available for the ODI World Cup. Bumrah is likely to be part of the Asia Cup squad fort the continental tournament, starting August 30.
INDIA SQUAD FOR IRELAND T20Is
Jasprit Bumrah (Capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan.
PRASIDH RETURNS TOO
Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna, who last played for India in August 2022, is also back after having been sidelined due to a stress fracture. The Indian team management had looked as Prasidh as a key option for the ODI World Cup.
Along with Prasidh, Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan have been picked for the 3-match T20I series in Ireland.
RUTURAJ VICE-CAPTAIN
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who will lead India men’s cricket team in the Asian Games 2023, has been named as vice-captain. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma, who are also part of the squad for a 5-match T20I series against the West Indies in August 1st week, have been named in the squad.
Sanju Samson has been named as the first-choice wicketkeeper while Punjab Kings star Jitesh Sharma is back in the mix as the second wicketkeeper.
All-rounder Washington Sundar has been named alongside left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed.
Meanwhile, Shivam Dube, who last played a T20I for India in February 2022, returns to the squad. The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder, who has been in fine form for West Zone in the ongoing Deodhar Trophy campaign, is also part of the Asian Games squad.
Dube was in sensational form in IPL 2023 for Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. He emerged as the third-highest scorer for CSK, scoring 418 runs in 16 matches at an impressive average of 38.00 and a strike rate of over 158. His best score was a blistering 52 runs off just 27 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore, showcasing his ability to score quickly and under pressure.
However, it is against spinners that Dube truly shone. He hit 30 sixes during the season, with 19 of them coming against spin bowling.
INDIA TOUR OF IRELAND SCHEDULE
1st T20I at The Village in Dublin – Friday, August 18
2nd T20I at The Village in Dublin – Sunday, August 20
3rd T20I at The Village, Dublin – Wednesday, August 23.
