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

The Indian team will travel to Ireland for a T20I series commencing on the 26th of June. The series will feature two T20s, both of which will take place at The Village in Dublin. The Indian team will be without the services of senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant among others who are preparing for the all-important rescheduled Test against England at Edgbaston.

The Indian team had a mixed outing against South Africa in their previous limited-overs series, as they won back-to-back games after losing the opening two matches. There are few changes in the Indian squad as compared to the previous series, and we might also get to see a few players making their debuts for the national side as India will want to test their bench strength before two the white-ball series against England in July.

Let’s look at five players to watch out for in the series: 

1. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson’s omission from the series against South Africa was the talking point in the media as the right-handed batter had a decent season with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022. Samson led his side to the final of the tournament, but unfortunately for the Kerala cricketer, his side were pipped by Gujarat Titans in the summit clash .

The right-handed batter scored 458 runs for his franchise and was quite effective with his pinch-hitting as he provided momentum to the innings on numerous innings. But the aggressive batter was guilty of not playing big innings in the tournament as he managed just two half-centuries.

The 27-year-old is considered one of the most talented Indian batters, but he has failed to make an impact at the international level. This series serves as the perfect opportunity for the batter to showcase his talent and get his name into the reckoning for the series against England.

2. Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan made headlines earlier this year when he was made the most expensive player of the IPL 2022 auction by the Mumbai Indians. But the tag of being the most expensive player seemed to have weighed heavily on the youngster as he struggled for runs for the majority of the tournament. 

But the southpaw did manage to redeem himself in the latter part of the tournament with some decent knocks. Kishan was rewarded with a call-up to the national team for the T20I series against South Africa. The southpaw was one of the best performers of the series as he scored 206 runs in the five matches with two half-centuries to his name.

The 23-year-old has acknowledged the fact that he might not get the chance to play in a full-strength Indian squad that will most likely feature KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma in the opening slot. Despite that, he will be looking to back up his impressive series against South Africa with another fruit outing against the Irishmen.

3. Avesh Khan

Avesh Khan was drafted into the Indian T20I team after an impressive IPL 2022 with Lucknow Super Giants. The right-arm pacer bagged 18 wickets as his side advanced to the playoffs in their debut season. 

Avesh struggled in the opening game against South Africa in the recently concluded T20I series. But he grew in the following games and was terrific in the fourth T20I in Rajkot as he finished with impressive figures of 4/18. The pacer’s ability to consistently hit the hard lengths troubled the South African batters throughout the series.

Although the 25- year old impressed against South Africa, his place in the side is not guaranteed as youngsters like Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are waiting on the sidelines to make their debuts for the national side. Avesh will enjoy bowling in foreign conditions as it will suit his bowling style and is most likely to give the Irish batters a hard time.

4. Surya Kumar Yadav

Mumbai Indians endured an abysmal season in IPL 2022 but Surya Kumar Yadav was one of their few shining lights in the tournament. The right-hand batter was at his fluent best as he scored 303 runs in eight matches, but his tournament was brought to an abrupt end as he suffered a left forearm muscle injury while playing against Gujarat Titans.

Suryakumar’s injury not only ruled him out for the rest of the IPL 2022 but he was excluded from the five-match T20I series against South Africa as well. He underwent rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to regain full fitness.

For the unversed, the unorthodox batter made his debut for the Indian team last year and hasn’t looked back since. The 31-year-old is touted to be a vital clog in the middle order for the Indian team as he can float around different batting positions according to the team’s needs. He will be itching to get back on the field against Ireland and get back in the groove as soon as possible.

5. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya’s all-round abilities were no secret to the world, but the dasher added another dimension to his playing style by guiding Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title in their debut season. Pandya donned the role of a middle-order batter as he anchored the innings on numerous occasions for others to come and hit the ground running.

The 28-year-old enjoyed his most prolific season with the bat as he amassed 487 runs at an average of 44. He also chipped in with crucial wickets, with his best bowling figures of 3/17 coming in the finals. He was the deputy to Rishabh Pant in the T20I series against the Proteas and adopted his previous role as the finisher for the Indian team.

The aggressive all-rounder will be leading the team against Ireland in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma and will be looking to guide the team to success in the two-match T20I series. It will be interesting to see if he promotes himself up the order as he did for Gujarat or continues the role of the power-hitter down the order.