India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl against Ireland in the second T20I, which is taking place at Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast. Ireland will be confident as they have already won the first T20I. Notably, this was Ireland's first-ever win against India in international cricket. Since this is a two-match series, India will look to level the series after winning the second T20I.

Two debutants in 2nd T20I against Ireland

India batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was added to the senior squad after Indian Premier League (IPL) heroics have to wait more as the Shreyas Iyer-led side featured without any change. However, Prince Yadav and Suryansh Shedge made their debut in the second T20I against Ireland. 

Captains at toss

India captain (Shreyas Iyer): We’re going to bowl first considering the weather condition. It can pour any time, so we want to maximize the advantage of it. [On what he wants his side to do differently after Friday’s defeat while chasing] I think the trend is it’s just important to adapt to the conditions as quickly as possible. And they were pretty smart in terms of making bowling changes and also scoring off the back foot and front foot, clearing right in the front. So it’s important that we play smart cricket rather than having a set pattern and see to it that we back our instincts as well at the same time. [On the challenge of returning from the IPL to international cricket and adapting to different conditions] Yes, it was a bit different, but coming back to the international, it was my first game after a very long time. And, you know, we’ve got many experienced players in the team who have played a considerable amount of matches. So it was just a day off for us and looking forward to have a good one today. [On the changes to the playing XI] Yeah, we’ve got two changes. Suryansh Shedge and Prince Yadav come in. Both are making the debut. So these are the two changes we’ve made. [On debutant Shedge] He’s a powerful, destructive batter. Yes, he’s a sensational youngster who has been scoring runs in the domestic cricket and also in the IPL. He’s got tremendous amount of experience in the youth cricket. So definitely he’s performed in the A tours. So he’s getting, he’s reaping the benefits. [On what fans can expect from debutant Prince] Definitely it’s his first game, so I don’t want to put him under that much pressure. It’s important that he comes out here and experiences and gain the experience out of what is there to offer. And he must have seen the match, how we played in the previous game. So definitely he’s smart enough to adapt to it.

Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker: We are happy batting first. We want to get a good read on the pitch as quickly as possible. [On hoping the conditions play similarly after winning the previous match] Hopefully it plays pretty similar today. [On addressing the team’s struggles in the powerplay after being 36 for 3 in the first game] I think it might just be about getting a good read on the pitch as quickly as possible, assessing what their bowlers are trying to do. We know they tried to hammer their hard lengths pretty early, and they had good success doing it the other day. But I think it’s come back, adapt, learn from the other day, and hopefully have a slightly better go and get in the power play. [On what pleased him most about Ireland’s performance in the opening T20I] I think the way we put it together in the second innings, the way we shut them down. There was very long periods without boundaries, I think we were able to really dig in, put them under pressure, and the fact we were able to close out the game when they had some big hitters towards the end was exceptional. [On Matthew Humphreys’ fitness after being struck on his bowling hand in the previous match and the team selection] No, same team today. Matthew, he’s fine. He’s a tough lad, so we know he’s willing to get out here and play again. [On Harry Tector playing his 100th T20I for Ireland] No, we know Harry’s a spectacular player. I think 100 caps is a testament to all the work he’s done and the player he is, so we know he’outside the leg-stump come good today.

India vs Ireland playing XIs

Ireland (Playing XI): Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w/c), Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Jai Moondra, Matthew Hollard

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav