18 August,2023 07:31 AM IST | Dublin | PTI
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Almost 11 months after he hobbled off the field, Jasprit Bumrah will be the cynosure of all eyes when he leads India against Ireland as the fast bowler's fitness and rhythm will be tested in the three-match T20I series, starting Friday.
The team are packed with India's Gen-Next IPL performers like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, but stakeholders in Indian cricket will keenly observe Bumrah, who will be key to home team's plans during the ODI World Cup starting in less than two months.
Bumrah, 29, is coming back after undergoing a surgery to treat the lower-back stress fractures he had suffered during a home series against Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup, last year. He will be bowling a maximum of just 12 overs across three games over five days but this series will allow chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, ODI captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid to get a fair idea of where the Gujarat slinger is placed in terms of match fitness.
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Ireland, led by Andrew Balbirnie with useful players like Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, left-arm spinner George Dockrell are a quality side in the shortest format. The players in this Indian team, save Bumrah and Sanju Samson, will be vying for gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou and the core team would be keen to make most of the three T20Is.
The one player, whose place would surely be under the scanner is Sanju Samson. He is unlikely to get into the playing XI unless head coach Sitanshu Kotak gets a standing instruction from main team management to play the Kerala man ahead of Asia Cup.
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