IRE vs IND: Five Ireland players to watch out for in T20I series

Ireland will take on India in a two-match T20I series slated to start on June 26. Both matches will be played at The Village, Malahide, Dublin. The hosts will want to put on a competitive show against the Men in Blue and try to upset the visitors.

India will also be under the new leadership of skipper Hardik Pandya and as the visitors are missing some key players including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul among others, Ireland has a chance to grab the opportunity and register their first-ever series victory over the mighty India.

The Ireland team management has already announced a 14-member squad for the T20I series with two new faces in the form of Stephen Doheny and pace bowler Conor Olphert. The team will be led by Andrew Balbirnie and senior batter Paul Stirling will also have a big role to play.

Here are five Ireland players to watch out for against India:

5. Mark Adair

Renowned as a seam-bowling all-rounder, Mark Adair has impressed with his skills in the limited opportunities he has got. The 26-year-old has also represented the English county side Warwickshire. Adair has the ability to bowl fast and has also got a deadly bouncer in his arsenal.

Talking about his numbers in T20I cricket, the right-arm pacer has represented Ireland in 39 matches and has scalped 59 wickets at an excellent economy of 7.07. Adair also has the ability to nail the yorkers during the death overs and stop the flow of runs.

The 26-year-old will definitely be looking to give his best with the ball in the upcoming series and try to rattle the Indian batting line-up with his pace. It remains to be seen as to how the series pans out for him and whether he can become a match-winner for the home side.

4. Gareth Delany

Talented batter Gareth Delany will be looking to make some quick runs against the Indian bowling line-up in the upcoming series. The right-handed batter made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2019, but could not do much in that game. Delany then performed with both bat and ball in a tri-series featuring Scotland and Netherlands and cemented his place in the Ireland squad.

Since making his debut in 2019, Delany has been a regular member of the Ireland squad and has also given some excellent performances for his country. The 25-year-old likes to take on the bowlers and can score at a brisk pace in any phase of the game.

Talking about his numbers in T20Is, Delany has played a total of 37 matches and has scored 694 runs at a decent average of 23.93. The right-handed batter plays at an excellent strike rate of 136.08 and has also stroked three half-centuries with 89* being his highest.

3. Paul Stirling

One of the most experienced batters in Ireland’s team, Paul Stirling will play a key role in ensuring his side performs well in the upcoming series against the Men in Blue. Stirling has remained a part of the Ireland squad for over a decade now and is an experienced campaigner.

Opening for his team, the right-handed batter has played several memorable knocks and is comfortable against both spin and pace. Once set, Stirling can take apart any bowling line-up. He will look to give perfect starts to his team in the upcoming series.

He has represented Ireland in more than 102 T20I games and has stroked 2776 runs at an average of almost 30. Stirling has also stroked 20 half-centuries and one hundred in the 20-over format. With the ball, he has scalped 20 wickets.

2. Curtis Campher

Talented all-rounder Curtis Campher has impressed in his short T20I career so far. The 23-year-old made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2021 and has become a key player for the team. Campher is a right-handed batter who also bowls medium-pace.

The 23-year-old registered his name in the history books after he scalped a double hat-trick in a match against the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE. Campher scalped the wickets of Colin Ackermann, Ryan ten Doeschate and Scott Edwards to take a hat-trick, before adding Roelof van der Merwe as his fourth scalp.

Talking about his numbers in T20I cricket, Campher has played 12 matches and has scored 169 runs at an average of 18.77. With the ball, the right-arm medium pacer has scalped 15 wickets with 4/25 against USA at Lauderhill being his best figures.

1. Andrew Balbirnie

Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie is an experienced player who made his international debut in 2010. The right-handed batter is a compact player and looks to settle in at the wicket before going for the big shots. Playing in the top order, Balbirnie will look to bat the full 20 overs and try to score some big runs for his team.

The right-handed batter will be Ireland’s main batter against India. The 31-year-old has played a total of 67 T20I matches for his country and has amassed 1429 runs at an average of 24.22 and a strike-rate of 126.68.

Balbirnie and Stirling are the two most experienced batters in Ireland’s batting line-up and they need to be the chief contributors for their side if Ireland wants to register their first series victory over the Men in Blue.