Shreyas Iyer's captaincy stint as the leader of India's T20I team got off to a nightmarish start, as the visitors faced a disappointing first-ever loss against Ireland in the first T20I of the ongoing series on Friday, June 26. India failed to chase down a target of 183 at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast as their batters, especially in the top five, failed to deliver an impact.
Another aspect of India's loss was an expensive spell in the middle by pacers, which has now given the Irishmen
an unassailable lead in the series. With the second and final match of the series, set to be played on Sunday, June 28, India will be looking to make a remarkable comeback and draw level at 1-1 against the Irishmen before signing off the tour.
Here are 3 changes India must make to win the 2nd T20I vs Ireland
3. Drop Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar is a premier all-rounder, but his role in the Indian team is restricted to being that of a lower-order finisher. With the ball, he bowled just one over, that too, an expensive one, giving away 19 runs. A player of Sundar's calibre should be utilised much better, but the current dynamics of the Indian team do not allow him to play multiple roles for the side.
Instead, the Men in Blue can try someone like Suryansh Shedge, who is a proven finisher in domestic cricket for Mumbai. Shedge earned his call-up to replace the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy, but he could well be seen replacing Sundar from the playing XI ahead of the upcoming clash. Another option, if India intend to go with a specialist spinner, could be the leg-spin bowler Ravi Bishnoi.
2. Prince Yadav in; Prasidh Krishna out
Prasidh Krishna had a horrid outing in Belfast on Friday. The tall right-arm pacer from Karnataka gave away 57 runs without picking a single wicket and also looked quite pale to generate assistance out of the wicket. The runs leaked off his spell were the reason Ireland were able to post a heavy total on the board, which the tourists eventually failed to reach successfully.
If the Men in Blue wish to try a fresh face into their T20I setup, they can certainly give a go to Prince Yadav. The young pacer recently made his ODI debut against Afghanistan. His 20-over form is also decent, as he is coming off a successful IPL season for the Lucknow Super Giants. The Delhi-born fast bowler might be the vital cog in India's attack for the second and final match of the series.
1. Give debut cap to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
The biggest debate in the cricketing world right now is the international debut of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Beyond being all set to be the youngest to make a debut for the Indian men's team at 15 years, Sooryavanshi is a genuinely talented and hard-hitting opening batter. If he manages to get a green signal from the team for his debut, he will certainly be looking to make it count.
The biggest question, though, will be whom to drop to make a place for Sooryavanshi. Abhishek Sharma is in good form, while Sanju Samson is an experienced campaigner and recently starred in India's T20 World Cup triumph as well. Ishan Kishan is in tremendous touch as well. Hence, finding a place for Sooryavanshi is a challenge India must overcome in order to save themselves from a shambolic series loss.
