New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) India skipper Shreyas Iyer said returning fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s focus is entirely on match readiness and winning championships as he prepares to return to international action in Sunday’s T20I opener against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Bumrah’s return after missing England’s third ODI and the Sri Lanka Test series delivers a crucial boost for India, whose T20I form has faltered since June – via defeats to Ireland and England, before winning the series in Zimbabwe.
The two-time T20 World Cup winner boasts 121 wickets in 95 T20Is, a resume highlighted by his Player of the Tournament performance in 2024 and a Player of the Match display in this year’s final against New Zealand. Iyer also noted that even established players require time on the field to regain match sharpness following a lay-off.
“See, 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 are coming into the game. He has played so much cricket over the years.
“He is immensely experienced, but at the end of the day, if you would ask me as an individual who is coming out of an injury, I would want more game time and more confidence leading up to a certain tournament. Definitely, I interacted with him yesterday. He is in that mindset where he wants to come and perform for the team and see to it that we win championships,” said Iyer in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
The right-handed batter was optimistic about the squad’s preparation overall, highlighting that high-intensity training sessions over the past two days have gone well despite ongoing workload management considerations.
“See, as I mentioned, we are just focusing on tomorrow’s game at the moment. Looking at every individual who has come out of an injury, they are looking fit and fine. They are in great shape.
“We had two high-intensity sessions yesterday and the day before yesterday. So, I honestly can’t tell you how we are going to manage it. But all I can assure you is that the team is looking promising. We are having great preparation. I want to be optimistic in terms of how we approach the game.”
Iyer praised the inclusion of fast bowler Yash Thakur, who was called up to the squad following a fresh thigh injury to Harshit Rana. Nagpur-based Thakur made his T20I debut in July against Zimbabwe and picked up two wickets in as many games. Thakur has also been with the Punjab Kings, a franchise Iyer captains in the IPL since 2025.
“As you see, Yash, he has been playing a lot of domestic cricket as well. He has performed consistently for his team, Vidarbha. They have won championships, and he has been someone who has been consistent throughout. So, he definitely deserves to be here. Leading up to the Asian Games, his name was already there as a backup.
“So, he is someone who is a quality bowler who has experience bowling in the domestic and also in the IPL. We have all seen him. He is a fantastic fielder as well. So, looking at all these qualities, I feel that he is the right match-up against a quality opponent and definitely, he has got the mindset of a champion,” he said while replying to a query from IANS.
While reflecting on the absence of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Iyer pointed to the return of fellow all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy as a major positive for the team balance. “See, definitely we know how much impact Hardik has on the team. As I mentioned earlier, players getting injured is not in our control, and I have been in that position as well because the efforts that one player puts in for the team are second to none.
“So, whoever gets the opportunity in place of them, they have to see to it that they seize their position and definitely help the team to victory. I am glad that Nitish is back from his injury, and he is looking in great shape, and the efforts that he put in yesterday, I saw the workload was pretty intense. Yes, looking forward to seeing him in this series and then all the games going forward.”
–IANS
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