Looking to even series,India won toss,chose to bowl first against Ireland in second T20 International at Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast on Sunday, June 28. Comes after India's shock 34-run defeat in series opener — their first-ever T20I loss to Ireland .
Captain Shreyas Iyer pointed to unpredictable weather as a factor. "It can pour any time, so we want to maximize the advantage of it," he said. Iyer,only fourth Indian captain to lose first T20I match,expressed confidence in team’s ability to rebound. "We’ve got many experienced players in team who have played a considerable amount of matches." India needs this win after the previous game's letdown.
Two debuts for India: Suryansh Shedge, 23, all-rounder from Mumbai, and Prince Yadav, 30,pacer from Delhi. But 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi didn't debut, as management retained top-order lineup. Iyer and selectors banking on experience, keeping Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma to solidify partnership despite past struggles.
Ireland sticks with same squad, eyeing historic series win. Captain Lorcan Tucker confident: "We want to get a good read on pitch as quickly as possible." Ireland buoyed by recent successes, including women's win over West Indies . They aim to repeat strong performances,deny India win,complete series sweep.
India's playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan,Shreyas Iyer (c),Tilak Varma,Shivam Dube,Suryansh Shedge, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana,Arshdeep Singh,Prince Yadav. Ireland's lineup: Tim Tector,Ross Adair,Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (c, wk), Benjamin Calitz,Gareth Delany,George Dockrell,Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys,Jai Moondra,Matthew Hollard.
This match is redemption chance for India,while Ireland looks to cement place in T20I history. Both eager to make mark...stage is set in Belfast.
