IND vs IRE T20Is: 3 Player Battles to watch out for
India will take on Ireland in the three-match T20I series in Dublin with the first game to be played on Friday, August 18. The series is interesting from a number of angles and one of the main reasons is the new-look Indian team.
The Men In Blue seem to have given opportunities to whoever has done well in the shortest format, especially in the IPL and most of these names will also be traveling to the Asian Games in September.
On the other hand, Ireland also has some quality players in their ranks, and under the leadership of Paul Stirling, the hosts will be keen to challenge India all the way. On that note, let's take a look at three such match-ups that would keep fans on the edge of their seats the whole series:
#3 Sanju Samson vs Mark Adair
Sanju Samson isn't having that great a time of late in the T20 format after a few failures in the West Indies. However, he has an outside chance of making it to the World Cup squad and for that, his showing some good form against Ireland would be crucial.
Samson has an interesting match-up against Ireland pacer Mark Adair as the duo faced off the last time India toured Ireland. In five balls that Samson faced from Adair, he scored 12 runs but also was dismissed once. It will be interesting to see who dominates the other this time around.
#2 Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Joshua Little
Yashasvi Jaiswal has started his international career in some style with a sensational hundred against the West Indies in Tests. He also showed in the fourth T20I just what he was capable of with a match-winning 84*.
The visitors will bank on Jaiswal to give them rollicking starts throughout the series. However, Ireland has Joshua Little in their ranks, who can trouble Jaiswal both with swing as well as pace. The southpaw won't hold back either and that's what makes this match-up quite interesting.
#1 Paul Stirling vs Jasprit Bumrah
Arguably the most important player battle in the series could be captain vs captain as both Paul Stirling and Jasprit Bumrah are invaluable to their respective teams. Bumrah is coming back from a long injury and the Men in Blue will hope that he is soon back to his best.
Stirling, on the other hand, is arguably one of the best batters in Irish cricketing history and his naturally aggressive game is something Bumrah and his men will need to counter. Interestingly, Stirling has faced just one ball from Bumrah in T20Is and has been dismissed on that ball. It will be interesting to see if the opener is able to set the records straight.