After a month-long break, the Indian cricket team kicked off their busy second half of 2023 with a convincing victory in the first Test against the West Indies in Dominica. They are scheduled to play one more Test, followed by three ODIs and five T20Is against the West Indies. Subsequently, the team will travel to Ireland for three T20Is, providing head coach Rahul Dravid and his support staff with a much-needed break from the short series.
According to a Cricbuzz report, Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour, and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey will be given time off after the conclusion of the West Indies tour, which includes the last two T20Is played in the USA. This break is intended to allow the support staff to prepare for the upcoming Asia Cup, followed by a three-match ODI series against Australia, and the World Cup in the following months.
During the absence of Dravid and the coaching staff, VVS Laxman, the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), will step in as the coach for the three T20Is scheduled from July 18 to 23. Alongside Laxman, coaches Sitanshu Kotak, Troy Cooley, and Sairaj Bahutule are expected to travel with the Indian team, which will likely be led by Hardik Pandya.
India faced Ireland in three T20Is last year, emerging as comfortable winners. This year, too, there will be opportunities for a few more youngsters to showcase their skills. With limited time between the West Indies series and the Ireland tour, players such as Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Rahul Tripathi, who are not part of the T20 squad traveling to the Caribbean, have a chance to be selected for the Ireland T20Is.
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