IND vs IRE 2nd T20I Preview: India need to improve batting to level series, Vaibhav may get chance
Suspense Crime, Digital Desk : India will be under pressure to make amends for their star-studded top order after losing the first T20I as they take on Ireland in the second and final T20I in Belfast on Sunday. Shreyas Iyer’s men will look to level the series after a shock defeat in the first match.
Defending champions India suffered a big blow in their first match after winning the T20 World Cup as Ireland registered their first international win against India, bowling them out for 148 while defending 182 on Friday.
Iyer didn’t expect this.
It was not the start that Iyer, back in international T20I action after 963 days and in his first assignment as India’s T20I captain, would have expected. The series of five matches against England starts on Wednesday at Chester-le-Street. Iyer, who was brought in to replace T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav for India, will be looking to finish the short Ireland tour on a winning note.
India’s batting was the biggest concern in the first game. Sanju Samson was India’s World Cup hero three months ago, but he became the first wicket to fall, going for just four balls to debutant Jay Mundhra. Ishan Kishan and Iyer too came up short. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma continued with his trademark aggressive style.
The debut of Sooryavanshi looks grim.
Young Vaibhav Suryavanshi was expected to make his debut in the first match by many. But he is likely to miss out again as India will not be making any changes to the top order after a defeat. The left-hander will have to be squeezed into the team, perhaps at the expense of dropping Washington and pushing Samson down the order.
But there are plenty of plus points on the bowling front. Harshit Rana was out for four months due to a knee injury but he came back brilliantly and used his variations wisely to take 3/24 in the last match. Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel were also bowling well, particularly at the death overs. But Iyer’s decision to use his fast bowlers early meant India lacked options in the final overs.
Team India
Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma (vc), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dubey, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Ireland side
Lorcan Tucker (c & wk), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Matthew Humphreys, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Hallard, Liam McCarthy, Jay Mundhra, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Reuben Wilson.
