India are all set to face hosts Ireland in the first of the two-match T20I series on June 26 in Dublin. India are coming into the series after levelling the four-match series against South Africa a few days ago, and will look to carry on with the winning momentum against a low-ranked Ireland team.
Since India’s Test team is in England for a one-off Test starting July 1, the squad for the T20Is comprises mostly young players. Hardik Pandya will be at the helm of the team, while the likes of Umran Malik and Ruturaj Gaikwad have received national call-ups.
The national selectors will closely follow this series to identify a set of players who can be kept in the plans for the T20 World Cup which is only a few months away. Sanju Samson, who has been given an opportunity in the team after a long time, will be looking to make the most of the opportunity. The likes of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik, who made a return to the T20 team for the South Africa series after impressing in the IPL 2022, will be looking to cement their place in team with consistent performances.
Ireland, on the other hand, will be largely dependent on Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie, their three experienced players who can play competitive cricket against higher-ranked teams. However, it is important to note that Ireland recently beat the West Indies in an ODI series and hence cannot be taken too lightly.
Predicted XI
India
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson/Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya (c), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, 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
