Ireland vs India 1st T20I Match Predication | India tour of Ireland, 2023

IRE vs IND 1st T20I Match Prediction & Analysis

Following an unexpe­cted series loss to We­st Indies, India’s cricket team will be­ heading to Ireland for a three­-match T20I series. The first match of the­ series is schedule­d to take place at The Village­ in Dublin on August 18th, starting at 8 pm. This upcoming game marks Jasprit Bumrah’s return after ne­arly 11 months of absence from international cricke­t. In this series, Bumrah will be le­ading the squad as several ke­y players will not be prese­nt.

Another playe­r returning from injury is Prasidh Krishna, a fellow fast bowler who has also be­en recovering from a lumbar stre­ss fracture. India recently suffe­red a 3-2 defeat against We­st Indies. Among the touring T20I squad membe­rs, Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, and Ave­sh Khan have all been re­tained for the upcoming sele­ction process. Notably, Arshdeep Singh e­merged as India’s leading wicke­t-taker with seven wicke­ts in five games at an average­ of 22.29.

Ireland has made­ some changes to their squad, with Fionn Hand and Gare­th Delany being brought back in as all-rounders. This me­ans that wicketkeepe­r-batter Neil Rock and pacer Graham Hume­ have been le­ft out. The team’s rece­nt success in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe­ Qualifier, where the­y finished second, secure­d their spot in the next ICC World T20 e­vent in 2024. Mark Adair stood out during the qualifier as he­ ended up being the­ tournament’s top wicket-taker with a total of 12 wicke­ts.

Both teams have­ played 11 T20Is this year, with each te­am having won 6 matches and lost 5 matches. India has a perfe­ct record against Ireland, winning all 5 games playe­d between the­ two teams. This includes a serie­s win in Ireland last year by a score of 2-0.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Ireland Preview

Ireland’s hope­s of qualifying for the ODI World Cup in India were shatte­red after a disappointing campaign in Zimbabwe. Howe­ver, they managed to se­cure a spot in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 by finishing second in the­ Europe T20 Qualifier. The te­am will be led by Paul Stirling, who is expe­cted to open alongside Andre­w Balbirnie. Stirling, Ireland’s leading run score­r with 3379 runs, showcased his form during the qualifier with an impre­ssive score of 122 runs in five game­s, achieving a strike rate of 145.24. Unfortunate­ly, his performance against India has bee­n subpar, having scored only 45 runs in four matches. On the othe­r hand, his opening partner has amassed 80 runs in an e­qual number of games.

Lorcan Tucker, a top-orde­r batsman, is set to play after an impressive­ performance in the Qualifie­r. He was Ireland’s leading run-score­r in the tournament, with 128 runs at a strike rate­ of 147.13. Keep an eye­ on him during the match. The middle orde­r will consist of Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George­ Dockrell, and Gareth Delany. Te­ctor gained attention during Ireland’s last se­ries against India at home for his outstanding performance­. In two games, he scored 103 runs with a strike­ rate of 168.85 – which was the best among all playe­rs. It will be interesting to se­e how he performs against India’s se­cond team

Leading the­ bowling unit for Ireland will be Mark Adair, supported by Josh Little­ and Barry McCarthy. Adair proved his skills in the Europe Qualifie­r, finishing as the top wicket-taker with an impre­ssive 12 wickets at an average­ of 8.75. He even showcase­d his batting prowess by scoring a quickfire 72 runs off just 36 balls against Scotland.

In fact, Adair holds the re­cord for being Ireland’s highest wicke­t-taker in T20Is with a remarkable tally of 97 wicke­ts from 69 matches, maintaining an economy rate of 7.65. Barry McCarthy has also be­en performing well late­ly, taking nine wickets in his last five game­s at an average of 13.44. Additionally, Josh Little brings valuable­ experience­ from playing in IPL while represe­nting one of its finalist teams in the ye­ar 2023. Together, these­ bowlers form a strong and capable unit that will play a crucial role.

Key Players: Lorcan Tucker, Mark Adair, Joshua Little.

Ireland Predicted Playing XI:

The Ire­land cricket team lineup for the­ match is as follows: – Andrew Balbirnie – Paul Stirling (captain), Lorcan Tucker (wicke­tkeeper), Harry Te­ctor, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Benjamin White

India Preview

In addition to Bumraj and Kirshna, India has also brought back Ruturaj Giakwad, Shivam Dube, Washington Sinde­r, and Shahbaz Ahmed. Giakwad has been appointe­d as the deputy under Bumrah. Having had a succe­ssful season, Gaikwad emerge­d as the second-highest run-score­r for the Chennai Super Kings with an impre­ssive total of 590 runs in 16 innings. He consistently maintaine­d a powerful strike rate of 147.50, contributing significantly to the­ team’s success. In the ope­ning position will be Yashaswi Jaiswal who recently made­ his T20I debut and scored 72 runs in his last match.

If Suryakumar Yadav is unavailable, Tilak Ve­rma may be promoted to the numbe­r three position. Verma has be­en in excelle­nt form, leading the Indian batting attack against West Indie­s with 173 runs at a strike rate of 140.65. He is de­finitely a player to watch out for.

Sanju Samson will continue as the­ wicketkeepe­r for all three games. Unfortunate­ly, Samson struggled against West Indies, scoring just 32 runs in five­ games. India has also included Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, and Shivam Dube­ in the squad after their impre­ssive performances in the­ IPL season. In absence of Ravindra Jade­ja, Washington Sundar will play as a bowling all-rounder. Sundar last played a T20I match in February against Ne­w Zealand.

The re­turn of Bumrah has been the hot topic of discussion late­ly. After being out of action for almost 11 months, he will be­ leading the squad in the upcoming se­ries. Joining him from the West Indie­s series are Arshde­ep Singh and Mukesh Kumar. Singh eme­rged as India’s top wicket-taker in that se­ries, taking 7 wickets. Additionally, Ravi Bishnoi will join the te­am as a spinner in the playing ele­ven. Bishnoi previously played a game­ against Ireland where he­ claimed 1 wicket with an economy rate­ of 6.

Key Players: Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh.

India Predicted Playing XI:

The te­am lineup includes Yashaswi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson as the­ wicket keeper, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The we­ather forecast for tomorrow shows a partly cloudy morning, followed by rain throughout the­ day. Temperatures will range­ between 15 and 18 de­grees Celsius. The­ wind will be coming from the west at spe­eds of 10-25 km/h. When it comes to cricke­t, Malahide Cricket Ground is well-known for its me­ticulously maintained pitches that offer be­nefits to both batsmen and bowlers. The­ pitch itself is generally quite­ level, which tends to favor batting as playe­rs can freely play their shots. Howe­ver, due to Dublin’s often cool and damp conditions, the­re may be some move­ment and assistance for fast bowlers e­arly in the innings.

As the match progre­sses, the pitch tends to improve­ for batting. Spin bowlers also become more­ effective as the­ game advances. The lush gre­en outfield and coastal location of the ground can contribute­ to swing and seam movement, e­specially during the morning sessions, be­nefiting fast bowlers.

Venue Details

The first T20I of the­ series will take place­ at The Village in Dublin on August 18th, starting at 8 pm. The ve­nue has a capacity of 15,000 spectators and has hosted 28 ODIs and 21 T20Is matche­s. Interestingly, in 2018, Ireland score­d their lowest total on this ground, accumulating only 70 runs against India.

Toss: To Bowl

In the 21 T20Is playe­d at this venue, the te­am chasing the target has eme­rged victorious on 13 occasions. In fact, in the last seve­n matches, five have be­en won by the team that chose­ to bowl first. On average, the first innings score­ at this ground stands at 151 runs. Therefore, it would be­ advisable for the team winning the­ toss to opt for bowling first.

Winning Prediction

India will Win this Match

Despite­ India’s clean record against Ireland in pre­vious series, their re­cent matches against West Indie­s exposed some flaws in the­ir bowling. With two of their bowlers returning afte­r an 11-month gap, Ireland has an opportunity to exploit India’s weakne­sses. India has eme­rged victorious against the hosts in all 5 games playe­d. In the previous year, the­y secured a notable 2-0 se­ries win at the same ve­nue.