The BCCI made the call today, confirming that Siraj won’t be part of the white-ball tour with Prasidh as his stand-in. You could say it’s a bit of a pivot for India heading into a busy few weeks from 26 June on.
According to the BCCI, this was no hasty decision. ‘Following discussions between the BCCI Medical Team and the Team Management, Siraj has been advised a period of rest as part of his workload management programme,’ they put it in a statement.
It’s an important one. As the current T20 World Cup holders, India have back-to-back T20Is in two different nations before the ODI leg even begins. How you handle the overs and let your bowlers recover can make or break you when you get to the latter end of July.
Siraj has had a lot on his plate of late. He put in 13 overs for a wicket in the Mullanpur Test against Afghanistan – a 300-run kind of day for India. And before that he was there for all 17 of the Gujarat Titans’ games in the 2026 IPL, even if they only came up short as runners-up.
What Prasidh Krishna changes for India
With Prasidh in the mix, you have someone who is in the moment. He has been around in the last few weeks, with 12 under his belt for GT in the IPL and 14 overs for three wickets in the Mullanpur Test.
So the 30-year-old is ready to go for these T20I duties. Between what’s in the offing in Ireland and the five in England, it gives India some continuity in the fast-bowling department and keeps the pressure off Siraj.
Schedule and stakes
We head to Dublin to open with the Irish on the 26th and 28th of June. It’s a quickie of a lead-in to see how things are working in foreign soil.
Then it’s over to England for a five-game run from July 1 to 11, with the first one in Chester-le-Street. That will be a test of your depth and how well you can put away the side in the death overs, venue by venue.
And don’t forget the three ODIs in England from the 14th to the 19th. It’s a lot of white-ball cricket in a row, which is why you have to be smart with your bowling workloads.
Here is the rundown:
– Siraj is out, per the medics
– In comes Prasidh Krishna
– T20Is vs Ireland on June 26 and 28
– Five in England, July 1-11
– ODI series, July 14-19
Why the decision now
The BCCI is calling it a ‘precautionary measure’ to have ‘adequate recovery ahead of a long international season.’ It’s a sign of where India is at: you protect your top quicks so they don’t fade when you need them most.
Siraj’s numbers tell the story. His last T20I was way back in February at the 2026 World Cup against the USA. On top of that, he is in the ODI side for the three-match series with Afghanistan that starts Saturday.
Updated India squad
For the T20Is in Ireland and England, you have: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel.
And then there are Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and of course, Prasidh Krishna.
A busy road ahead
Things don’t wind down once you’re done in England. The 2026 Asian Games are on the horizon for the T20 format, from September 24 to October 3. Knockouts are set for the 28th and 29th of the month and the 1st, with the final on the 3rd.
It’s simple enough. Krishna has seven T20Is to make his case, and Siraj can put in some time to reset. For India, it’s about having fresh legs for now and a quality pacer in the tank for later on.
