Jasprit Bumrah-led Indian Team to Depart for Ireland on August 15, VVS Laxman Unlikely to Travel: Report

Jasprit Bumrah’s much-awaited return to the Indian team is very near as the star pacer is set to depart for the Ireland tour along with the rest of the Indian team. However, VVS Laxman is not likely to accompany the Men in Blue for the 3-match T20I series.

According to a report in Cricbuzz, the Indian side will depart for Dublin on Independence Day 2023, i.e. August 15, but without VVS Laxman. India’s head coach Rahul Dravid is currently occupied with the senior side for the ongoing T20I series against West Indies.

Thus, it was expected that Laxman might travel with the second-string Indian team just like he did during India’s tour of Ireland last year, however, that will not be the case.

Laxman, who is the head of the National Cricket Academy will not travel with the Bumrah-led young-look Indian side. Instead, other names have been reported such as Sitanshu Kotak and Sairaj Bahutule who are likely to be part of India’s support staff.

Cricketnext had earlier reported that Bumrah will return in India colours during the Ireland tour as the star pacer last played for the Men in Blue in September last year and has been sidelined since with a stress fracture on his back.

India will play three T20I games with Ireland, starting on August 18, till August 23. The series will only help Bumrah ease his way back into the India setup, it will also allow some of the Indian youngsters to show their skills, including one name in particular who has been on everyone’s lips – Rinku Singh.

The report further adds that the Indian squad will meet up in Ireland in two batches, those players who are currently with the India team in Florida for the remaining two T20Is will depart from the US, while the remaining players will travel with Bumrah and they are expected to leave from Mumbai on Tuesday morning.

Not just Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna is also making a much-awaited comeback from his own injury woes, while Ruturaj Gaikwad will serve as Bumrah’s deputy before leading a young look India in the Asian Games at Hangzhou.

India’s squad for Ireland tour: 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