Team India and experimentation works hand in hand it seems. With first-choice players constantly getting injured, the selectors have no option but to try different players and even the hectic scheduling has played its part. India's West Indies tour concluded on August 13 and the Men in Blue will be playing the first of the three-match T20I series against Ireland on August 18.
This is the third time they are touring Ireland since 2018 and India will see a third different captain leading the team in Ireland. On the previous two occasions, Virat Kohli (2018) and Hardik Pandya (2022) toured the country as captains. This time around, a second-string side has been named with Asia Cup on the horizon but Jasprit Bumrah is set to lead India for the first time in the shortest format.
All eyes will be on Bumrah's fitness who is auditioning for the Asia Cup and subsequently the World Cup. Apart from that, the series holds no significance for India. Also, this is the first time, India and Ireland will be facing off in a three-match T20I series having played two matches in a series on the last two occasions. Quite a few players like Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma are likely to debut for India after coming up with an impressive show in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
This series is also an opportunity for the likes of Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar who have returned to the set up after quite some time. After losing to West Indies for the first time in 7 years, there will be some pressure on this unit to come out on top at least against Ireland despite the fact that all eyes will be on the upcoming Asia Cup starting from August 30.
India squad for Ireland T20Is: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, TIlak Varma, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan
