Indian T20 squad is in Ireland for a two-match T20I series. The two games, which are scheduled for June 26 and 28, will serve as a practice run for India’s tour to England, which will begin on July 1.

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The Indian team, led by Hardik Pandya will start as the favourites. The series gives a number of unproven players the chance to make an impression before the T20 World Cup, which will be hosted in Australia. These players include Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Avesh Khan, Rahul Tripathi, and the returning Sanju Samson.

As for Ireland, they have a huge chance to surprise the visiting team. The Irish begin this summer with the departure of the departure of Graham Ford, former coach, and former captain William Porterfield. Instead, this series will be a first for the new coach Heinrich Malan. This series will be a stern test for Ireland’s captain Andy Balbirnie, who is without their most capped T20 player, Kevin O’Brian.

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Balbirnie was astounded by India’s depth; although the Test team is currently on tour in Leicester, their T20I squad is in Ireland. He said,” “Nowadays, any Indian team you’re going to play is a good team. It kind of shows the depth of Indian cricket that they can put out two teams.”

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As for the hosts, it will be a test of their bench strength. This is a step closer for an India team that is without a lot of regulars in determining their lineup for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. They will have VVS Laxman as a fill-in coach and Hardik Pandya as their seventh skipper across all formats since the beginning of 2021. 

As for the Indian fans, they are in quite a bit of a dilemma. In preparation for the important fifth and final Test against England at Edgbaston, Indian players will compete in a practise match on the one hand. An Indian squad will play Ireland in a T20I match that same day in Dublin. The fact that the BCCI fields two teams in various forms speaks much about the depth of the Indian cricket scene. It also says something about their busy schedule.

Schedule:

1st T20I – 26th June, Sunday, The Village, Dublin – 9 pm IST

2nd T20I –28th June, Tuesday, The Village, Dublin – 9 pm IST

Indian Squad:

 Hardik Pandya (c),Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Tripathi, Harshal Patel, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (VC), Axar Patel, Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravi Bishnoi Suryakumar Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Venkatesh Iyer,

Ireland Squad:

Andrew Balbirnie (c), Andy McBrine, Stephen Doheny, Conor Olphert Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, Joshua Little, Paul Stirling, Craig Young, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Lorcan Tucker

Where to watch:

The matches will livestream on Disney+Hotstar app and website. On TV, you can watch it live on Star Sports Network.