Jasprit Bumrah led Team India to travel without any head coach for Ireland series: Report

Jasprit Bumrah will reportedly lead the Indian cricket team without a designated head coach during India's upcoming T20I series against Ireland. VVS Laxman, who was initially set to be the head coach for the tour, will be absent from the series. Rahul Dravid, the regular head coach of Team India, will take a break after the ongoing series against the West Indies. 

3 things you need to know

• India and Ireland are scheduled to play a three-match T20I series
• The series will take place from August 18 to 23 in Dublin
• Bumrah has been named the captain in the absence of Hardik Pandya

Also Read: Sanju Samson And Suryakumar Dropped, Bumrah To Return: Predicting India's Asia Cup Squad

VVS Laxman to miss out on Ireland series

Traditionally, whenever the head coach of the Indian team is on leave, the chief of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) steps in as the interim head coach. Previously, Rahul Dravid fulfilled this role when he was the head of the NCA, while Ravi Shastri served as the coach of the men's team.

According to a Cricbuzz report, Sitanshu Kotak and Sairaj Bahutule will accompany Jasprit Bumrah's team for the three-match series against Ireland in Dublin instead of VVS Laxman. Kotak and Bahutule have previously supported VVS Laxman on tours to New Zealand and Ireland when Dravid was rested along with some of the key players of the team.

As per the report, Rahul Dravid and his team will regroup at the NCA on August 24 following a week-long break. The Indian team members will undergo an Asia Cup camp at the NCA from August 24 to 29 before departing for Sri Lanka on August 30. The Asia Cup 2023 is scheduled to take place from August 31 to September 17. 

Also Read: 'Eleven Months Is A Long Time': Glenn McGrath Explains How Jasprit Bumrah Will Perform After Long Injury Lay-off

India vs Ireland T20I series

Meanwhile, the Indian team will travel in two separate groups for the IND vs IRE series. The first batch, departing from Mumbai, will include captain Jasprit Bumrah and players not part of the IND vs WI squad. The second batch will directly fly from Florida to Dublin, Ireland, and will include players like Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who participated in the last three T20Is against West Indies.

Team India (Senior Men) squad for T20I series against Ireland: 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

Image: BCCI