Belfast was an absolute disaster. There is no other way to frame it. India went into the first T20I at the Civil Service Cricket Club looking for a routine workout against Ireland. Instead, they left with their tails firmly between their legs after a historic, humiliating 34-run pasting. The Irish didn't just win; they exposed a completely broken bowling system.
Batting first, the hosts racked up a massive 182 for 9. Then they skittled Shreyas Iyer's side for a miserable 148 in 18.5 overs. It was brutal. Iyer looked completely helpless in the field as his bowlers lost their heads and their lines during the death overs. The wheels came off completely when the secondary options were tossed the ball, bleeding 46 runs in just two late-innings overs.
Prasidh Krishna bore the brunt of the punishment. Four overs. No wickets. Fifty-seven runs leaked. The Irish batters saw him coming a mile off, routinely anticipating his predictable lengths on a true Belfast surface that offered plenty of carry but zero margin for error. Without a genuine swing bowler to put the squeeze on during the power play, India handed Ireland all the early momentum on a silver platter.
Fans are furious. Pundits are demanding a complete overhaul of the selection strategy for this European tour.
The case for Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Kris Srikkanth did not hold back. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka, the former India captain, launched a scathing attack on the current setup, pulling no punches about who needs to come back into the side immediately.
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar has to be an automatic choice in this bowling lineup," Srikkanth barked. He pointed out that Krishna kept serving up predictable, good-length balls, essentially placing deliveries right in the slot for the Irish lower order to smash over the ropes. Five disastrous overs between Krishna and Washington Sundar simply threw the game away.
"Prasidh Krishna kept bowling in the good length. He bowls perfectly in the slot. The five overs between him and Sundar cost India the game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be an automatic choice in this bowling lineup. Prasidh Krishna bowls at just the perfect pace and length to get smashed. He wasn't great even in this IPL," he said on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka.
Krishna struggled for rhythm during the domestic T20 season, too. Bhuvneshwar, meanwhile, has been absolutely flying. He just wrapped up an incredible domestic run, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker after bagging 28 scalps from 16 matches. More importantly, he did it at an elite economy rate of 7.95.
That sort of control contrasts sharply with the erratic rubbish served up in Belfast. Srikkanth made a vital point about how a seasoned campaigner extracts movement even on flat tracks, a skill these younger pacers lack entirely. Raw pace without variation is just food for modern batters. Selectors must fast-track Bhuvneshwar back into the squad before the upcoming England series.
