3 welcome additions to Team India's T20I squad for the Ireland series
Team India's ongoing T20I assignment against West Indies hasn't started off on the right note, with the Men in Blue suffering a four-run defeat in the series opener in Trinidad.
Things will continue to be difficult for India when they take on Ireland later this month, with most of the first-choice players being rested with an eye on the Asia Cup and the World Cup.
Hardik Pandya, who is leading the side against the Windies, won't take part. The likes of Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who are currently in the Caribbean, will be missing as well.
Team India squad for T20I series against Ireland: Jasprit Bumrah (c), 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.
Along with these exclusions, there are also bound to be a few fresh faces and returning names in the mix. There are a couple of positive signs for India as they gear up to take on the Irish.
Here are three welcome additions to Team India's squad for the Ireland T20I series.
#3 Shivam Dube
Shivam Dube will feature for Team India in the Asian Games later this year, but before that, he will make his international comeback in the T20Is against Ireland.
Dube has played 13 T20Is so far, with 105 runs at an average of 17.5 and a strike rate of 136.36. He has also picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 10.04. Those aren't great numbers, but the all-rounder is a changed player now.
Dube's move to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has brought about a second wind in his career, with the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) demonstrating his immense spin-hitting ability and renewed faith in his own game. Although he didn't bowl much during CSK's title-winning campaign, talks of an international return were doing the rounds well before his name was officially announced.
India have struggled to find a left-handed spin-hitter in the middle order for quite a while now, and Dube could be the answer to those problems.
#2 Prasidh Krishna
It might seem strange to suggest that a player who has never played a T20I before is a welcome addition to the Indian squad for the Ireland series, but Prasidh Krishna is one name that has been missing for almost a year.
Prasidh hasn't played a competitive game of cricket since India's tour of Zimbabwe in August 2022, having been laid low by a spate of injuries. The fast bowler has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and has now been adjudged fit enough to make a return to the shortest format.
Prasidh, who has played 14 ODIs so far, will likely make his T20I debut against Ireland. If his form and fitness hold up in Dublin, he could enter the picture in the other two formats, where India need him.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is back! The fast bowler, who has been dealing with a back injury for almost a year, has been the talk of the town, having not only been selected but also named captain.
If Bumrah's body holds up on his return, he will no doubt be called up to India's squads for the Asia Cup and the World Cup. The Men in Blue desperately need his services for the marquee ICC event, having failed to identify pacers who can have anywhere near the impact he would, barring perhaps Mohammed Siraj.
Having made the mistake once already, India won't rush Bumrah back from injury. Since he's been named in the contingent for the Ireland series, it's safe to assume that they have taken the necessary precautions, and it's a fit and firing spearhead who'll lead the side in Dublin.