India will look to bounce back strongly and avoid a series defeat when they take on Ireland in the second T20I at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Sunday, June 28.
In the first T20I, India suffered an upset 34-run defeat at the same venue. Shreyas Iyer didn't have an ideal start to his captaincy tenure, but he will look to instil confidence in his players and help them turn things around on Sunday. Ireland, on the other hand, are looking for their first series win against the Men in Blue.
IRE vs IND: Toss update
Shreyas Iyer won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bowl first. He cited the overcast weather conditions played a key role in him taking the decision to put Ireland in to bat first. Meanwhile, Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker said that he is happy batting first and hopes that the surface will play similarly to how it did in the first T20I.
IRE vs IND: Two debutants for India, Ireland go unchanged
India have made two changes to their line-up for the second T20I, while Ireland are heading in with an unchanged side. Suryansh Shedge and Prince Yadav have been handed their maiden T20I caps. They have replaced Washington Sundar and Prasidh Krishna, who had forgettable outings in the first T20I.
IRE vs IND: What did the captains say?
Lorcan Tucker, Ireland captain
We are happy batting first. We want to get a good read on the pitch. [On hoping the conditions play similarly after winning the previous match] Hopefully it plays pretty similar today. [On addressing the team’s struggles in the powerplay after being 36 for 3 in the first game] I think it might just be about getting a good read on the pitch as quickly as possible, assessing what their bowlers are trying to do. We know they tried to hammer their hard lengths pretty early, and they had good success doing it the other day. But I think it’s come back, adapt, learn from the other day, and hopefully have a slightly better go and get in the powerplay. [On what pleased him most about Ireland’s performance in the opening T20I] I think the way we put it together in the second innings, the way we shut them down. There was very long periods without boundaries, I think we were able to really dig in, put them under pressure, and the fact we were able to close out the game when they had some big hitters towards the end was exceptional. [On Matthew Humphreys’ fitness after being struck on his bowling hand in the previous match and the team selection] No, same team today. Matthew, he’s fine. He’s a tough lad, so we know he’s willing to get out here and play again. [On Harry Tector playing his 100th T20I for Ireland] We know Harry’s a spectacular player. I think 100 caps is a testament to all the work he’s done and the player he is, so we know he will come good today.
Shreyas Iyer, India captain
We’re going to bowl first considering the weather condition. It can pour any time, so we want to maximize the advantage of it. [On what he wants his side to do differently after Friday’s defeat while chasing] I think the trend is it’s just important to adapt to the conditions as quickly as possible. And they were pretty smart in terms of making bowling changes and also scoring off the back foot and front foot, clearing right in the front. So it’s important that we play smart cricket rather than having a set pattern and see to it that we back our instincts as well at the same time. [On the challenge of returning from the IPL to international cricket and adapting to different conditions] Yes, it was a bit different, but coming back to the international, it was my first game after a very long time. And, you know, we’ve got many experienced players in the team who have played a considerable amount of matches. So it was just a day off for us and looking forward to have a good one today. [On the changes to the playing XI] Yeah, we’ve got two changes. Suryansh Shedge and Prince Yadav come in. Both are making the debut. So these are the two changes we’ve made. [On debutant Shedge] He’s a powerful, destructive batter. Yes, he’s a sensational youngster who has been scoring runs in the domestic cricket and also in the IPL. He’s got tremendous amount of experience in the youth cricket. So definitely he’s performed in the A tours. So he’s getting, he’s reaping the benefits. [On what fans can expect from debutant Prince] Definitely it’s his first game, so I don’t want to put him under that much pressure. It’s important that he comes out here and experiences and gain the experience out of what is there to offer. And he must have seen the match, how we played in the previous game. So definitely he’s smart enough to adapt to it.
IRE vs IND: Playing XIs
Ireland
Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (WK/C), Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Jai Moondra, Matthew Hollard.
India
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.
