India vs Ireland Match Prediction: Who will win today's 2nd T20I match?
The sun is expected to be out and about at The Village in Malahide, Dublin, when India and Ireland face off in the second T20I of the three-match series on Sunday, August 20.
The series opener between the two sides ended up in a narrow win for the Men in Blue, who were just two runs ahead of the DLS score when the heavens opened up.
Nevertheless, they were buoyed by promising performances from the returning fast-bowling duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. The former even claimed the Player of the Match award on his T20I captaincy debut.
Ireland, on the other hand, were left to rue their top-order batting, which came undone amid some testing conditions in the middle. The hosts' top four scored a combined 24 runs, with India's bowling options coming together well to use the swing, seam and bounce on offer.
It's clear that batters can cash in at The Village if they see off the new ball, something Ireland failed to do in the previous game. Can the home side adopt a wiser strategy and test Bumrah and Co.? Or will India seal the series with a game to spare?
India vs Ireland Match Prediction: Men in Blue look to seal T20I series
India will have an eye on sealing the series, but more important to their plans will be giving some key players time out in the middle.
Arshdeep Singh needs to hone his death-bowling skills after losing the plot on various occasions in the recent past. Meanwhile, Bumrah and Prasidh will hope that their bodies hold up well a day after the opening encounter.
Ravi Bishnoi, on the other hand, will have an eye on establishing himself as one of India's leading wrist-spinners in the shortest format.
The Men in Blue have some talking points in the batting department, too. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma are in contention for the Asia Cup and the World Cup, although they only have outside chances of making the grade.
The middle order, meanwhile, features left-handers Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube, who will be raring to showcase their wares.
Ireland's exploits in white-ball cricket over the last few months have been characterized by midde-order revivals. The likes of Curtis Campher, George Dockrell and Barry McCarthy have come up with plucky displays to paper over the top-order failures.
That is a pattern that needs to change if they are to turn the series around. Unfortunately, given the composition of India's bowling lineup, that doesn't seem very likely.
Anything can happen in a game of cricket, and Ireland certainly have the firepower to cause an upset. However, the visitors are the slight favorites to get over the line and seal the series.
Prediction: India to win the second T20I vs Ireland.