Big picture: New beginnings
Ireland get a great chance to trip over a great T20 side in conditions they haven’t had the time to acclimatise to. It is actually the essence of T20: waste little time in assessing what a good score is and bat accordingly. One slip, and it could be the first time India have failed to win a T20 series or tournament in three years.
Form guide
India WWWWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Ireland WLLWW
In the spotlight: Shreyas Iyer and Lorcan Tucker
Both have kinda been captains in waiting, but Shreyas Iyer has taken the more dramatic route to the leadership. Not even a part of the side that won the T20 World Cup. Shreyas has built himself a leadership resume with an IPL title, a runners-up finish and another strong campaign with two different teams in three straight years. With the intense focus on intense cricket, there will be those who will scrutinise this unconventional move of bringing him into the side straight as a captain.
Wicketkeeper Tucker’s unbeaten 94 against Oman was one of the bright lights of Ireland’s campaign at the T20 World Cup. A prodigy, he made his international debut before playing first-class cricket. While his numbers remain the most impressive in Tests, where he debuted with a hundred, Tucker has gained valuable T20 experience in various leagues around the world.
Team news: Do India unleash Sooryavanshi?
Tempting as it is for India to play Sooryavanshi immediately, it will take breaking up the successful opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Samson was the Player of the Tournament at the World Cup, and scored two centuries at the IPL. Abhishek, who didn’t have a great World Cup, was back to his best during the IPL. Ishan Kishan has done superbly in both the World Cup and at the IPL. None of these four should be batting outside the top three. So there is Shreyas’ first big decision as captain apart from identifying replacements for Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy and Hardik Pandya, who will be used sparingly outside World Cups even when fully fit.
Axar Patel could be the spin allrounder ahead of Washington Sundar given the right-hand dominance in the Ireland batting. In fact with Suryansh Shedge, last-minute replacement for seam allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, yet to join the team, both the spin allrounders could play. However, how about throwing caution to the wind and playing all four of the Samson, Sooryavanshi, Kishan and Abhishek?
India (probable) 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma/ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt.), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Shivam Dube, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Harshit Rana, 11 Ravi Bishnoi/Prasidh Krishna/ Prince Yadav.
Ireland (probable) 1 Tim Tector, 2 Ross Adair, 3 Harry Tector, 4 Lorcan Tucker (capt. & wk), 5 Ben Calitz, 6 Gareth Delaney, 7 George Dockrell, 8 Matthew Humphreys, 9 Matt Holard, 10 Reuben Williams, 11 Jai Moondra.
Pitch and conditions
Tucker said the pitch in Belfast was expected to be much slower than the batting beauties Indian players might have been accustomed to in the IPL. The ground is also bigger. So expect a period of adjustment. The afternoon is likely to stay cloudy with a possible quick shower.
Stats and trivia
- None of the players in the current Ireland squad has taken a wicket against India in T20Is.
- India’s last three scores batting first have been 256, 253 and 255.
Quotes
“The people who are already performing should never be ignored – that what’s I believe in. There are people who are already scoring and helping the team win. Obviously, given the BCCI’s structure [of cricket], new and talented players will keep coming [into the side]. It’s good that there is healthy competition, and I feel everyone who comes in should wait for their own right time to play.”
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak feels it won’t be fair to drop an established performer for newcomer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at Cricinfo
