India vs Ireland Live Score, 2nd T20I. After the Belfast setback, will Shreyas Iyer’s side turn to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?

The reigning T20 World Cup champions lost by 34 runs after Ireland recovered from 36/3 to post 182/9 before bowling out India for 148. The win gave Ireland a 1-0 lead and put them one win away from a famous bilateral T20I series victory over India.

For Shreyas Iyer’s side, Sunday’s game is a must-win if they want to avoid an unexpected series defeat.

India needs better execution

India made a good start with the ball in the opening match, reducing Ireland to 36/3 in the Powerplay through Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh.

However, the visitors failed to keep up the pressure. Lorcan Tucker and Gareth Delany rebuilt the innings before George Dockrell’s late hitting helped Ireland score 66 runs in the last five overs.

Captain Shreyas Iyer admitted after the match that India lost control during the middle overs and allowed Ireland to target shorter straight boundaries. He said the team will “forget what happened” and come back “all guns blazing” in the series decider.

Bowling under the spotlight

India’s bowling, especially in the death overs, tends to be focused.

Although Harshit Rana impressed with figures of 3/24, India struggled to contain Ireland in the final overs. Better execution and smarter use of the bowlers will be crucial if they are to stop another late onslaught.

The batter should rise

India’s batting also failed to deliver in the opening game.

Abhishek Sharma hit a quickfire 50 off just 20 balls to keep the chase alive, but when he was dismissed, the innings fell apart.

Captain Shreyas Iyer managed just three runs, while Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel failed to convert their starts. Shivam Dube played a useful cameo, but India never built the partnerships needed to chase down 183.

Will India make changes?

With the series on the line, India can make changes to the playing XI.

Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is waiting for his chance and could be considered if the team management decides to change the batting line-up after the disappointing performance of the opener.

Ireland is chasing another historic moment

Ireland will go into the match full of confidence after registering their first ever T20I win against India.

Captain Lorcan Tucker led from the front with a composed half-century, while Gareth Delany made an important contribution with the bat.

Debutants Matthew Hollard and Jai Moondra also impressed. Hollard picked up three wickets to win the Player of the Match award, while Moondra claimed two wickets with a disciplined spell.

Ireland now have the chance to seal a memorable run against the world champions on home soil.

India is looking to make a comeback

Despite the setback, India has always responded strongly after defeats.

Shreyas Iyer’s side will be determined to level the series and avoid a rare bilateral T20I series defeat, while Ireland will look to complete another illustrious chapter in their cricket history.

With pride, momentum and the series on the line, an exciting contest awaits in Belfast.

Squads:

India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Ireland: Lorcan Tucker (captain), Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Matthew Humphreys, Gavin Hoey, Matthew Hollard, Liam McCarthy, Jai Moondra, Harry Tector, Tim Tector and Reuben Wilson.