A fully-fit Jasprit Bumrah is finally back in the India squad - as captain as well - for the T20Is in Ireland in August. In another boost to India's fast-bowling stocks, Prasidh Krishna was also picked in the squad for the three games in Dublin.
Bumrah hasn't played any cricket since the T20I series at home against Australia last September. He has been at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for the past two months where he has slowly increased his bowling workloads after undergoing surgery in New Zealand for a back injury. He had a few practice games and the NCA staff, led by VVS Laxman, is believed to be satisfied with Bumrah's progress.
ESPNcricinfo has learned there were deliberations over whether Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was named captain for the 2023 Asian Games, should lead in Ireland as well to reduce Bumrah's workload, but it's understood the fast bowler was keen to lead. Bumrah had previously captained India in the Birmingham Test against England last year.
Prasidh, meanwhile, is returning after extensive rehabilitation for a lumbar stress fracture that had kept him out of all cricket since the tour of Zimbabwe in August 2022. He didn't undergo surgery initially and had been working towards a full recovery prior to the Ranji Trophy, but was advised surgery in December after another assessment.
At the time of his injury, Prasidh was emerging as an effective bowler in the middle overs in ODIs with his height, pace and hard lengths. Last week, the BCCI had said that Bumrah and Prasidh were "bowling with full intensity in the nets."
Many of the players picked for the T20 cricket competition in the Asian Games were also selected to tour Ireland. The ODI regulars were rested to prepare for the Asia Cup starting on August 30 in Sri Lanka, just a week after the final Ireland T20I on August 23. The team management is considering a conditioning camp in Bengaluru prior to their departure to Sri Lanka.
Apart from Gaikwad, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube were also picked on the back of impressive IPL seasons. Gaikwad was Chennai Super Kings' second highest run-getter with 590 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 147.50 in a victorious season.
In all, seven members of India's Caribbean-bound T20I squad, including seamers Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh, feature in the side for the Ireland tour. Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Ahmed and Washington Sundar are among the spin-bowling options for India.