IRE vs IND | Umran Malik makes debut for Team India in first T20I

Jammu and Kashmir's pace sensation Umran Malik is all set to make his debut for team India when the Men in Blue lock horns with Ireland in the first T20I of the two-match series on Sunday June 26, at The Village, Dublin. 

The Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler received his debut cap from vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar just ahead of the series opener. 

The BCCI shared photos of Malik receiving his India debut cap. "A dream come true moment!! Congratulations to Umran Malik who is all set to make his T20I debut for #TeamIndia," the BCCI wrote in the caption.

Notably, the 22-year-old earned his maiden India call-up for the recently concluded five-match T20I series against South Africa. However, he didn't get a chance in the Playing XI as team India played with the same combination throughout the series.

The speedster has been rewarded the opportunity as a result of his brilliant performance in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

Umran bagged 22 wickets in 14 matches, including an impressive five-wicket haul against the IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans. Malik, who clocks 150 on regular terms, was also named the Emerging Player of the IPL 2022.   

Following this debut, Umran has also become only the second player from Jammu and Kashmir to represent India at the international level. Parvez Rasool, who also hails from J & K, earlier represented India on two occasions. 

The first T20I against Ireland will also mark the debut of Hardik Pandya as the captain of team India. As for the match, team India won the toss and invited Ireland to bat first. 

Here is the playing XI for Team India against Ireland in the first T20I: 

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