Opportunity for Fringe Players as India Looks to Seal 3-0 Victory against Ireland
With the series already in their grasp, the final T20I presents a chance to provide game time to the peripheral players. Both teams entered the second game with an unchanged playing eleven, but that is unlikely to be the case this time.
India is expected to maintain their batting lineup without any reserve batter available. However, the team management aims to give Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Tilak Varma as much playtime as possible, considering their prospects for the upcoming World Cup. Given Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar's lackluster performances in the previous matches, there might be an opportunity for Shahbaz Ahmed and Jitesh Sharma to enter the playing eleven. Notably, Jitesh has been highly impressive in the IPL over the past two seasons and eagerly awaits his international debut, potentially replacing Sanju Samson if the team management decides to give him another chance.
In the bowling department, although Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna have bigger goals in mind, having been selected for the Asia Cup squad, they would still prefer gaining more match experience after returning to the national setup. This could mean Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan staying on the bench once again, unless Arshdeep Singh makes way for one of them.
The hosts, too, face some selection dilemmas, especially with Harry Tector's poor form. Ross Adair, who made his debut earlier this year, is an exciting batsman with an impressive strike rate of over 150 in T20 cricket. Additionally, if George Dockrell won't bowl, Gareth Delany might see an opportunity for himself.
The match between Ireland and India will take place on August 23 at 3 PM local time (7:30 PM IST) at The Village, Dublin. The pitch is expected to favor batsmen, although there might be a slight chance of rain that could influence the toss decision.
Team Watch:
Ireland: This is an opportunity for Ireland to give playing time to Ross Adair, Theo van Woerkom, and Gareth Delany.
Probable XI: Ross Adair, Paul Stirling (C), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (WK), Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young, Theo van Woerkom, Benjamin White
India: While it may be challenging for the visitors to make changes in the bowling department, Jitesh Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed are potential candidates to enter the playing eleven.
Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma/Shivam Dube, Shahbaz Ahmed/Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh/Mukesh Kumar
