IRE vs IND | 1st T20I | Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

India's two-T20I tour of Ireland starts tomorrow when both the sides will go toe to toe in the first fixture of the series, scheduled at The Village, Malahide, Dublin.

At a time when the senior boys are gearing up for an all-important one-off Test against England, India's second-string side led by Hardik Pandya will face the Irish challenge. With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant in England, the onus and focus will be on less talked about names for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the series versus Ireland.

Rahul Dravid, seeing off the preparations in England, has transferred the head coach's duties to his former teammate VVS Laxman for the series. Sitanshu Kotak and Sairaj Bahutule are the other members who will accompany Laxman in the coaching setup.

Talking about the current form of the Men in Blue, they drew the home T20I series against South Africa. With the series tied at 2-2, rain played a spoilsport in the decider. However, Pandya, Dinesh Karthik's returning duo and young opener Ishan Kishan left a positive impact. At the same time, one bowler or the other exerted his prowess in every match.

For Ireland, it has been a decent year in the shortest format. First, they stood second in the Oman Quadrangular T20I series. Then, they played the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup A Group Qualifier 2022, which they lost to the UAE.

Although Paul Stirling has been running cold in the international arena lately, eyes will be on him again. Harry Tector will also be crucial to his side's chances.

Match Details

Match: Ireland vs India, Ist T20I

Venue: The Village, Malahide, Dublin

Date & Time: June 26 at 9 PM IST

Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network 

Pitch Report: The pitch at the Malahide Cricket Club Ground will likely be the batters' friend. Barring the early movement on offer, it is expected to be a tough day for the bowlers.

Head-To-Head

Total matches:3

India won: 3

Ireland won: 0

Squads

India: Hardik Pandya (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi.

Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, Paul Stirling, Curtis Campher, Stephen Doheny, Lorcan Tucker, Mark Adair, George Dockrell, Joshua Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Conor Olphert, Craig Young.

Probable Playing XI

India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya (c), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel/Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik/Arshdeep Singh

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Gareth Delany, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Curtis Campher

CREX XI Suggestion 

Wicket-Keeper: Dinesh Karthik

Batters: Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harry Tector, Paul Stirling

All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Curtis Campher

Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Joshua Little, Mark Adair

Captain: Suryakumar Yadav

Vice-Captain: Hardik Pandya