India vs Ireland: Sarandeep Singh advises Men in Blue to try out reserves in third T20I

Having already clinched the three-match T20I series against Ireland with a 33-run victory on Sunday ex-selector Sarandeep Singh advised the Indian team to test their bench strength in the third T20I on Wednesday.

India won the opening encounter of the three-match tour by two runs via Duckwork-Lewis-Stern method before dominating the hosts in their 33-run win two days later at the Malahide Cricket Club Ground.

While Jasprit Bumrah-led side will be eyeing a 3-0 sweep of the series when they two sides lock horns in the tour finale on Wednesday, Sarandeep felt the dead rubber was an ideal opportunity for the Men in Blue to try out some of their reserves, and was particularly interested in seeing Avesh Khan and Jitesh Sharma play in the third match.

“Absolutely, it should definitely happen, especially after a victory, when you get the liberty to make changes. I really want to see Avesh Khan play. He’s a good fast bowler, and I’ve mentioned before that he consistently performs well in domestic cricket and even in the IPL.

“We’ve seen him playing regularly and delivering excellent bowling performances. Even though we couldn’t give him a chance during the West Indies series due to the back-and-forth nature of the matches, we should certainly provide him with an opportunity here. Jitesh Sharma should also get a chance,” Sarandeep said on JioCinema.

Former Mumbai cricketer and fellow JioCinema expert Abhishek Nayar however, felt there was no need for India to tinker with their winning combination heading into Wednesday’s fixture.

“I’d prefer not to see any changes. You know, it’s a very short tour, just these T20Is. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that the players who have been given an opportunity continue to play,” Abhishek said.

India dished out an all-round performance in the second T20I on Sunday after retaining the same playing XI, with Ruturaj Gaikwad (58) and Sanju Samson laying the foundation for a challenging total with valuable knocks before Rinku Singh, playing his maiden international innings, cracked a 21-ball 38 to guide India past 180.

Bumrah, who is leading a second-string Indian team in the T20I tour of Ireland, then led with the ball in hand as India restricted the Irishmen to 152/8, preserving their unbeaten record against Ireland in the process.