The Indian team is set to lock horns with Ireland in the first T20I of three-match series at the Village Stadium in Malahide, Dublin on Friday. All eyes will be on Jasprit Bumrah who will be leading the Indian side against Ireland and also he is making a comeback in the side after a long injury hiatus. Speaking of records, the Men in Blue have never lost a T20I game against Ireland in the five past battles. Young guns like Rinku Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube and will be looking to make a mark for themselves in the upcoming series.
Pacer Prasidh Krishna will likely to assist Bumrah in the bowling department while Ravi Bishnoi will look into the spin department. The Karnataka-based pacer last played for Men in Blue was back in an ODI match against Zimbabwe on August 20, 2022. All-rounder Washington Sundar will also be assessing his fitness after his return to the international setup. In the batting department, India is expected to play their usual batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma while they can try out young Jitesh Sharma as well. Young left-hander Rinku Singh is also expected to make his debut after his IPL heroics for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Players like Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, and Mark Adair will be playing crucial roles from the Irish side while premier player Paul Stirling will be leading the side. Apart from players, the weather will also be playing a vital role as there is a 67% chance of rain at the start of the game. Dublin has been warned already with Yellow Alert for rain.
Predicted XI's:
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Prasidh Krishna.
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Fionn Hand, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry Mccarthy, Josh Little, Ben White.