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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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