From the outside, it seems the T20I series against Ireland will be ideal for Jasprit Bumrah to get back to rhythm ahead of the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup.
But the Irishmen are equally determined to make sure the comeback isn’t too easy for the senior pacer, who will also be captaining a young Indian side in the three T20Is at Malahide in Dublin beginning on Friday.
Ireland head coach Heinrich Malan minced no words to send a message across to Bumrah, who’s set to play his first international game in almost 11 months after recovering from a back injury that also forced him to undergo surgery. The 29-year-old quick’s last appearance was on September 25, 2022, in a T20I against Australia in Hyderabad.
In a video shared by the BCCI on its Twitter page, Bumrah was seen bowling at full tilt and with a fair amount of intensity during India’s nets session in Dublin on Wednesday. He was seen bowling a well-directed short-pitched delivery followed by a toe-crushing yorker.
The Andy Balbirnie-led Irish side, however, will try and go hard at Bumrah right from the onset, Malan indicated. “We all know he (Bumrah) has been a quality performer for over a period of time. But when you look at the T20 way of playing, being aggressive is the nature of the beast within it.
“So, the fact that he hasn’t played for a while would potentially give us the opportunity to try and put him under pressure early on,” the Ireland coach said late on Tuesday evening.
The ODI World Cup trophy sits in front of the Taj Mahal in the run-up to the mega tournament starting in October. Picture courtesy ICC
The home team will be without batsman-all-rounder and finisher Gareth Delany in the first two games, but Ireland trust the likes of Mark Adair, Harry Tector and skipper Balbirnie to take on not just Bumrah, but also the other Indian bowlers. “Bumrah has shown that he can perform for over a period of time. But in the same way, we’ve got a few experienced guys at the top of the order.
“They will also be keen to put a stake at the ground,” Malan said, adding: “Any individual players would have their own way of using their strengths to try and attack a quality performer like him. But the nature of the beast is such that you have to try and take the positive option which helps you to bring out your strengths.”
The Bumrah-led Indian side appears short on international exposure, but the IPL experience of players like vice-captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh will count. Besides, left-handed batters Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal impressed on their international debut in the T20Is against the West Indies.
The Irishmen are obviously aware of these players’ capabilities. “The fact that these guys have played quite a lot of IPL cricket will allow us to be diligent in our preparation,” Malan said.
“We’ve been able to obtain a fair bit of information around the way they (players of the current Indian squad) operate from an individual point of view. That sort of us allows us to get into a position where we’re pretty clear in our tactics,” Malan reasoned.
