For captain Shreyas Iyer and a few of his teammates, the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi, beginning on Sunday, is about putting the house in order before the Asian Games later this month.
However, one of the key elements for Team India in this series will be the workload of Jasprit Bumrah, who’s back in the squad after sustaining a left knee injury during the ODI series in England in July.
Shreyas and the rest of the team management will also need to figure out how many T20Is Bumrah should play against Afghanistan, especially with less than a fortnight to go for India’s Asian Games opener on September 28.
Shreyas, though, sounded quite optimistic of Bumrah’s current mindset. “I interacted with him yesterday (Friday), and he is definitely in that mindset where he wants to come and perform for the team, and see to it that we win championships,” the skipper said on Saturday, the eve of the first T20I.
Besides Bumrah, India also need to deal with their opening combination. Will Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continue to open? Or, will Sanju Samson be brought back in the XI?
That would lead to a serious selection dilemma regarding the three opening options. “It’s going to be a tight call because they have been performing consistently,” he said. “Whoever gets the opportunity, it’s definitely for the team’s benefit.
“And for the players sitting outside, it’s important that I have an interaction with them along with the coach (Gautam Gambhir) and give them that confidence. No matter what, you will get your opportunity when the day comes,” Shreyas said.
The in-form Ishan Kishan, in the news for his stupendous showing in the Duleep Trophy final for champions East Zone, had suffered a minor niggle. Shreyas, though, didn’t read much into it.
“Well, as for Ishan, I feel that he is comfortable at present. It was just a small niggle, as he has been playing continuous cricket.
“We all know the knock he played. So, definitely, a bit of fatigue, but today (Saturday), he got that rest and I am sure that he will be fine for tomorrow.”