When India embark on a new T20 era under Shreyas Iyer in the opening of a two-match series against Ireland in Belfast on Friday, the team management’s biggest challenge will be fitting teenage wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the starting XI.
After the 15-year-old’s incredible IPL 2026 run and a scorching 29-ball 94 for India A versus Sri Lanka A in the tri-series one-day final at Dambulla, there is increased attention in Sooryavanshi’s potential international debut.
However, the think tank will find it difficult to comply with the popular demand. The 15-year-old left-hander from Bihar has the potential to surpass Sachin Tendulkar, who played for India at the age of 16 years and 205 days, as India’s youngest international cricketer.
Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, and Sanju Samson are now the top three in India. Additionally, it is difficult to overlook their recent and overall T20 records. In the ICC T20 World Cup final victory over New Zealand in March, which was also India’s final match in the shortest format, Samson, Abhishek, and Kishan all scored fifties.
One of Samson or Abhishek will have to go down the order or sit out if the management decides to include Sooryavanshi, an opener, which is a hard move following a World Cup victory. Samson has previously batted at No. 4 and No. 5, thus the team management may try to move him down the order.
However, captain Iyer and his deputy Tilak Varma will now occupy those spots, leaving No. 6 as the only available spot. But it usually goes to an all-rounder, and India has a number of options, like Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, and recent arrival Suryansh Shedge.
Samson’s placement at number six will force India to field just five bowlers, and that group already seems thin without Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah. Even still, Samson’s stats at the opening position are outstanding: 926 from 28 innings with three hundreds and four fifties, at a strike rate of 181.93.
His strike rates at Nos. 3, 4, and 5 (121, 129, and 127, respectively) are not very encouraging. The top T20I hitter, Abhishek, has also been a very successful opener, scoring 1414 runs from 43 innings with two hundreds and ten fifties. He has an impressive strike rate of 192.38.
In IPL 2026, Abhishek (563), Kishan (602), and Samson (477) all had strong performances. Kishan recently scored 125 against Afghanistan in the second ODI at Lucknow.
Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir will therefore need to consider carefully whether to give Sooryavanshi a debut or maintain the winning combination for the time being. However, Sooryavanshi’s presence will put more pressure on Samson and Abhishek to make a lasting impression or risk getting dropped.
Personally, Iyer will be keen to begin his full-time captaincy tenure with a series victory and highlight his leadership skills, which were demonstrated during the Kolkata Knight Riders’ championship-winning 2024 season. A year later, he guided Punjab Kings to the IPL final.
India’s bowling lineup is subpar, but this series and the next one against England present them with a great opportunity to show their abilities. India now has more alternatives in the pace unit thanks to Harshit Rana’s injury recovery, but Prasidh Krishna and Prince Yadav will be fierce rivals.
Prince and Prasidh are both in excellent form, and the former recently claimed a career-high five wickets in the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai.
Ireland is missing a number of key players due to injuries, including Josh Little, Mark Adair, Paul Stirling, and Curtis Campher. In addition to having some competent T20 players like George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, and the Indian-born Jai Moondra at home, they now have a new captain in Lorcan Tucker.
However, it will take much more than that to defeat the current T20 World champions.
India vs Ireland Head-to-Head:
In eight T20 International matches between India and Ireland, India has a perfect record, having prevailed in each match.
India vs Ireland Pitch Report:
The pitch at Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast provides a fair game for both bat and ball. Despite having a large amount of grass covering it, the wicket provides genuine and steady bounce, allowing the ball to land comfortably on the bat. The ground is still favorable to batters, but seamers can move laterally in their air and off the surface with the new ball.
India vs Ireland Weather Report:
Friday’s weather in Belfast is predicted to be cloudy and to be between 14°C and 16°C. There will be modest south-westerly breezes and a humidity of about 75%. During the game, there is a moderate possibility of rain, which could result in short-term disruptions. Rain is still a possibility, but if the showers are light, things should get better.
India vs Ireland Probable XIs:
India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi/Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
Ireland: Ross Adair, Stephen Doheny, Lorcan Tucker (C & WK), Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Liam McCarthy, Gavin Hoey, Reuben Wilson
FAQs:
When is the 1st T20I between India and Ireland scheduled?
The 1st T20I between India and Ireland is scheduled on Friday, June 26, 2026.
What time does the 1st T20I between India and Ireland scheduled to start?
The 1st T20I between India and Ireland will start at 6:00 PM IST.
Where is the 1st T20I between India and Ireland scheduled to take place?
The 1st T20I between India and Ireland is scheduled to be played at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast.
Which TV channel will broadcast the 1st T20I between India and Ireland?
The 1st T20I between India and Ireland will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network.
Where can one catch the live streaming of the 1st T20I between India and Ireland?
The live streaming of the 1st T20I between India and Ireland will be available on Sony LIV app and website.
