New Delhi: Jasprit Bumrah’s return to India’s set-up is the biggest talking point ahead of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. However, for captain Shreyas Iyer, the assignment involves more than just welcoming one of the world’s premier fast bowlers back into the fold.
Bumrah bowled at full intensity in the nets on Thursday, marking his readiness after an injury layoff since July. Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are also returning from injuries, while Iyer stressed that it was important for players coming back to ease into the side.
“As a player comes out of an injury, it’s important that he gets game time, and you need that sort of confidence when you’re coming into the game,” Iyer told reporters on the eve of Sunday’s opening T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here.
“He (Bumrah) has played so much cricket over the years, he’s immensely experienced, but at the end of the day, if you would ask me as an individual who’s coming out of an injury, I would want more game time and more confidence leading up to a certain tournament.”
Iyer admitted that he has a selection puzzle on his hands. Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are all pushing for places, making the battle for the top and middle-order slots tight.
“Having them in the team is a luxury, first of all, and they’re flawless in their own departments. It is going to be a tight call, because they have been performing consistently,” Iyer said.
He wants players to understand precisely what the team wants from them without feeling constrained by rigidly defined roles. “I like having a specific player in the right position,” he said. “Every individual, rather than just knowing the role, it’s important that they should have the awareness of what the team requires of you.”
In-form Ishan Kishan is expected to be available despite picking up a niggle while batting during Thursday’s practice. Iyer said the wicketkeeper-batter was “comfortable” after what he described as “a small issue”, with workload in the Duleep Trophy having led to some fatigue.
Afghanistan, who are the hosts, begin a new chapter with Ibrahim Zadran taking over from Rashid Khan as full-time T20I captain. Zadran believes his side’s familiarity with Indian conditions can work in their favour with several players having featured in IPL and ICC events in the country.
“We know the conditions really well, how to adjust,” Zadran said. “We just need to execute the plan.”
For India, the immediate focus remains on Sunday, even with the Asian Games looming large. Iyer insisted his side would not get carried away thinking too far ahead, but acknowledged the value of facing a quality opponent in Afghanistan before the multi-sport event.