Team India, led by Rohit Sharma, will be seen in the T20 World Cup 2024 for the first time as they take on a spirited Ireland on Wednesday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. With India not losing to Ireland in 8 T20 meetings, the Irishmen will hope to keep that record intact on Wednesday.
The Indian team will enter the showpiece event as the number-one ranked side, but haven't played T20I cricket since January when Afghanistan were blanked 3-0. Nevertheless, the likes of Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah were in supreme form in IPL 2024. Moreover, the Men in Blue beat Bangladesh comprehensively in the warm-up fixture.
Ireland, meanwhile, lost the T20I series to Pakistan, but beat the former champions in the first match of the three-game rubber. With associate nations already making their mark in the ongoing tournament, the Irishmen can also spring a surprise if they play to their full potential.
When and where to watch India vs Ireland?
Star Sports will telecast all the matches of the 9th edition of T20 World Cup. The live streaming will take place on Disney Hotstar. The match will begin at 8:00 pm IST.
"They’ve just come off the back of the IPL" - Paul Stirling
Ireland captain Paul Stirling spoke in a press conference and stated that India are a formidable opposition, given they are coming off from IPL 2024. He elaborated, as quoted by BBC:
"India are a really difficult challenge - they’ve got a number of top, top bowlers, they’ve just come off the back of the IPL and we know what they bring is the highest quality in cricket standards. No matter what happens, if we put in a strong performance we’ll go in with confidence into the next three games of the group."
Ireland are yet to find themselves advancing from group stage in T20 World Cups.