The Men in Blue kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on June 5, taking on a talented Irish side at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York City.
Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, India will look to make a winning start. India haven’t played any international series in the lead-up to this World Cup. Yet, they will play a warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1. All the Indian players have had extensive competitive practice in the IPL, though, and now they will look to gel together in this practice match.
On the other hand, Ireland don’t stack up enough in terms of quality and experience compared to the Indian team, but they are a very talented side. Although they couldn’t win, they did deliver a competitive performance when India toured Ireland last year. They also delivered an impressive performance in the recent series against Pakistan. They lost the series 2-1 but competed very well in all three matches. The batters fared very well, but their bowling needs to improve heading into this all-important match.
Key Players
Suryakumar Yadav: The middle-order batter made a terrific return from injury in IPL 2024 as he amassed 345 runs, including a century and three fifties. He will be looking to carry his form forward into this encounter.
Lorcan Tucker: The wicketkeeper-batter recently enjoyed an excellent run of form in the series against Pakistan. He scored two fifties, including a best of 73 off 41 deliveries. In this crucial encounter, he will be eager to keep his good form going.
Match Prediction
Although Ireland are a talented side, India are the favourites to win this contest owing to their experience and the superior quality of players. India also has a much better bowling side, and that gives them a massive edge in this battle against Ireland.
