IND vs IRE 1st T20I Highlights: IND win by 7 wickets

IND vs IRE 1st T20I Highlights: IND win by 7 wickets

Well, as expected, India won the match with utter ease. Deepak Hooda's terrific performance will earn him a lot of applause. He, along with Pandya sealed the match with that big partnership. India lead the series 1-0. The next match will be played on June 28 at the same venue. Until then, this is Kartik Mehindru, signing off. 

​Surprise!! It's Deepak Hooda and not Ruturaj Gaikwad who was come alongside Kishan to open for India. Interesting move from Pandya. 

• IRE 108/4 after 12 overs: Well, from 22/3 to 108/4, that is some recovery by Ireland and they have managed to set a stiff target for the visitors. Harry Tector was the man for Ireland as blasted away to a scintillating 64 off 33 deliveries, 
• IRE 22/3 after 4 overs: Alright, India are all over Ireland like a rash. There's swing on offer, and the Indian pacers have made good use of it. Ireland have no clue as to what's going on and this may be over quicker than you think. 

New Rules

• 4-over powerplay
• Two bowlers can bowl a maximum of 3 overs each
• 3 bowlers can bowl 2 overs

 

• Finally a good news. It'll be a 12-over affair, and the match will start shortly. 
• The rain continues and these are not good signs. I am afraid we might hear some bad news pretty soon.

Ireland Playing XI

Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w), George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Craig Young, Joshua Little, Conor Olphert

India Playing XI

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik

• India have won the toss and have decided to bowl first. 
• ​Well, the toss is delayed. But the good news is that the covers are coming off and it has stopped raining. 

• Umran Malik has been handed out his debut cap. A dream come true for the Jammu Express. 
• Hello and welcome to the live blog of India vs Ireland's first T20I. I am Kartik Mehindru, and I will take you through all the latest updates throughout the match. Although it's just a two-match series, players like Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, and Rahul Tripathi would like to give their best and make a solid impression to solidify their case for a ticket to Australia. 

Before we deep dive into the action, here are the key players to watch out for.

• Sanju Samson

Samson has been in and out of the Indian set-up for quite a while now but hasn't really been able to put up performances to cement his place. 

Although Rohit Sharma said that a player like Samson, who has extra time, and plays well on the backfoot, will be a good option in Australia, the team already has a lot of batters and very few spots available. 

If Samson can carry his IPL form, and execute it a wee bit better in blue jersey, then he can make a strong case for himself for the tournament down-under. 

• Ruturaj Gaikwad

Gaikwad showed some moments of brilliance in the home series vs South Africa, but all in all, he was searching for timing and form. 

Although Kishan has all but sealed his place as a reserve opener for the World Cup down-under, Gaikwad would want to answer his critics, get back to form and try to be in the mix of things.

• Rahul Tripathi

This IPL season was the one where we truly got to see what Tripathi brings. He is one of the few players who played the attacking brand of T20 cricket that is in demand. 

He played for the team, did not take time to settle, attacked from ball one, put the pressure back on the opposition, and accumulated 413 runs in 14 matches at a staggering strike rate of 158.24. 

The wait has been pretty long for Tripathi and he would want to make it count. 

• Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel has all but solidified himself as a death-over specialist in this Indian set-up. We have seen him bowl well in the IPL for a couple of years now, and in the blue jersey too, Patel has been terrific. 

But the conditions in Dublin will be different from that in India and it will be exciting to see how Patel performs in those conditions. When Shami returns to the T20 side, only two of him, Bhuvi, and Shami can play. So Patel would again want to make a strong case for himself. 

• Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav will be making his return from the injury in this series. He has established himself as a go-to player for Mumbai Indians and has been performing consistently in the India jersey too. 

He is expected to come in at number 3 or 4 and his form heading into the all-important World-cup will be something to watch out for. Many believe him to be the X-factor that a team needs to win a major tournament like the one in Australia, and his form will be up for discussion more often than not.