There may be very few matches left before the T20 World Cup in Australia at the end of the year, but India go into this 2-match series against Ireland with what is very much an experimental side. Several leading players are in England, preparing to play a Test match, and this gives an opportunity for fringe players to stake their claim for the World Cup squad. 

With R. Sharma preparing to play the Test, H. Pandya – who led Gujarat to the Indian T20 League title – will lead the team. S. Yadav and S. Samson are likely to come in at No.3 and No. 4, with R. Pant and S. Iyer part of the Test squad. D. Hooda is another contender, having had a strong Indian T20 League season with Lucknow. 

On the bowling front, B. Kumar and Y. Chahal provides the experience, while H. Patel has a couple of strong Indian T20 League seasons behind him now. It’ll be interesting to see what opportunities the likes of U. Malik. A. Singh and R. Bishnoi get in these games.  

Ireland will bring in the prolific S. Doheny to strengthen the batting, and rely on the new-ball attack of B. McCarthy and J. Little. But if they’re to beat India for the first time, so much will depend on the experience of P. Stirling and A. Balbirnie, who have more than 4,000 runs between them in T20Is. 

Match Details

• Match: Ireland vs. India, 1st T20
• Venue: The Village, Malahide, Dublin 
• Date & Time: June 26, 2022, at 9:00 PM IST
• Live Streaming: Sony SIX Channel and Sony LIV App

IRE VS IND 1st T20 Probable Playing XIs 

Ireland Team

P. Stirling, A. Balbirnie (C), G. Delany, H. Tector, L. Tucker (WK), G. Dockrell, A. McBrine, M. Adair, J. Little, C. Young, C. Olphert

India Team

R. Gaikwad, I. Kishan, S. Yadav, D. Hooda, H. Pandya (C), D. Karthik (WK), A. Patel, B. Kumar, A. Khan, Y. Chahal, U. Malik

India vs Ireland Head-to-Head T20 Record

Weather Report

Showers are forecast for earlier in the day, though the sky should clear by mid-afternoon. Though it’s summer in Ireland, a temperature of around 16°C will greet the players at the start of play.  

Ind vs Ire 1st T20 Pitch Report

Before 2018, even a score of 170 hadn’t been made in six international T20s at Malahide. Since then though, it’s been a high-scoring venue, with India crossing 200 in both matches on their tour of Ireland in 2018.    

Toss

There have been just 14 matches across 7 years at the venue, with teams batting second winning 8 of them. India won both their previous matches batting first and scoring over 200.   

TOP FANTASY PICKS For Ire vs Ind 1st T20 Match

Ireland

• P. Stirling has 102 caps, 2776 runs and a strike rate of 134.69 in T20Is. He is one of the few players still around who played in the T20 World Cup in 2009. Stirling is handy with his part-time off spin bowling and has taken 20 wickets in T20Is.
• A. Balbirnie is one of the experienced batters in the Irish squad. He has made 1429 runs in 67 innings at an average of 24.22, with five fifties. As an opener and skipper of the team, he will look to play a big role in this match.
• M. Adair has made himself an integral part of the Irish side since his debut 3 years ago. He has taken 59 wickets from 39 games at an economy rate of 7.07 which suggests he isn’t easy to hit either.  

India

• I. Kishan has been by far the best batter in this series. He is the leading run-getter in this series with 191 runs at a strike rate of 146.92, with two fifties. He continued his good form in the series, making 27 runs off 26 balls in the 4th T20I.
• D. Karthik has played 37 T20Is for India spread over nearly 16 years, and now is being seen in the finisher’s role in the middle order. He made his 1st half century recently as India battled back to square the recent T20 series against South Africa.
• B. Kumar has taken 64 wickets from 64 T20Is and hasn’t always been a prolific wicket taker. But what he also is is a steady, accurate, new-ball option who will get you wickets in helpful conditions. His economy rate of 6.93 is excellent.  

Key Stats For India vs Ireland 1st T20 Match

Suggested Howzat Team for India vs Ireland Fantasy Cricket

• Wicketkeeper: I. Kishan
• Batters: R. Gaikwad, S. Yadav, A. Balbirnie
• All-rounders: H. Pandya, G. Delany
• Bowlers: B. Kumar, A. Khan, M. Adair, J. Little, U. Malik

• Captain: B. Kumar/I. Kishan
• Vice Captain: A.Khan/H. Pandya

IRE vs IND, 1st T20 – HOWZAT Fantasy Team

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own team from today’s fantasy match prediction and play all the fantasy cricket matches of the India Tour of Ireland 2022. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team playing.

Download one of the favorite fantasy app and select your own team, Howzat!