India will be touring Ireland in June for two T20Is before moving to England. Meanwhile, VVS Laxman is likely to coach the side in Ireland. Here's why.
After the chaos of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) ends on May 29, the focus will be back on international cricket from next month. India's first overseas assignment post IPL 2022 will be the United Kingdom (UK) tour. India's first stop in the UK will be in Ireland for two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) on June 26 and 28 at The Village Ground in Malahide. Thereon, India will move to England for the remaining Test from last year's five-Test series, followed by three T20Is and One-Day Internationals (ODIs) each. However, there will be a change in support staff role for Ireland, with VVS Laxman likely to take up the head coach duties.
According to ESPNCricinfo, although the current Team India head coach Rahul Dravid will be travelling with the side to the UK, he will not be going to Ireland. Instead, he will be heading to England directly, where he will be preparing the boys for the Test match. India will be playing a four-day game against Leicester from June 24-27 before playing the rescheduled Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 1-5.
Laxman is expected to take up the head coaching duties in Ireland. He currently happens to be the Director of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He replaced Dravid at the NCA following the latter's appointment as the Team India head coach. Meanwhile, Laxman has enough coaching experience, having done so in the IPL with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Bengal as a batting consultant, besides being in charge of the India U-19 during its ICC U-19 World Cup triumph in West Indies.
The All-Indian Senior Selection Committee will be picking separate squads for the two tours. It will be similar to what they did last year, as a second-string team went to Sri Lanka for the limited-overs leg, with then-NCA head Dravid coaching the side and Shikhar Dhawan leading. On the other hand, the senior Team India squad was preparing in England for the Tests along with then-head coach Ravi Shastri.
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However, it will be exciting to see if the selectors pick the same squad for Ireland as the South Africa T20Is, to be played at home from June 9-19, barely a week before travelling to The Emerald Isle. India's Test specialists are expected to leave for England on June 15. The Birmingham Test was initially scheduled to be played last year at Old Trafford in Manchester before a COVID outbreak in the Indian camp forced it to be postponed. India presently leads the series 2-1.