India Tour of Ireland: Team India to play three T20Is before 2023 Asia Cup

The two teams will play three T20Is before India return for the 2023 Asia Cup.

India Tour of Ireland: Team India to play three T20Is before 2023 Asia Cup

Hardik Pandya and Andrew Balbirnie (Image via Insidesport)

Cricket Ireland on Tuesday confirmed the itinerary for India’s Tour of Ireland. The two teams will play three T20Is before India return for the 2023 Asia Cup. The three T20Is are scheduled to take place between 18 and 23 August with Malahide hosting all three matches. 

This will be India’s second tour to Ireland in fourteen months as the Hardik Pandya-led side toured for a two-match T20I series back in June 2022. The series kicks off immediately after the conclusion of India’s Tour of the West Indies. 

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The Men in Blue will play a five-match T20I series before they board the flight for Ireland. “We’re delighted to welcome India Men back to Ireland for the second time in 12 months,” Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland said while announcing the itinerary. 

“Our sincere thanks to the BCCI, first, for their continued inclusion of Ireland in the Indian team’s busy itinerary and also for working with us to ensure as fan-friendly a schedule a possible – having matches on a Friday and Sunday will hopefully maximize the availability of fans.”

Ireland v India T20I Series Fixtures

18 August: Ireland Men v India Men – 1st T20I (Malahide; start time 3pm)

20 August: Ireland Men v India Men – 2nd T20I (Malahide; start time 3pm)

23 August: Ireland Men v India Men – 3rd T20I (Malahide; start time 3pm)

Also Read: BIG UPDATE on Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback, India pacer to return to cricket with Ireland T20I series

Will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma take part in Ireland series?

rohit sharma virat kohli ireland series
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Image via NDTV)

With the three-match T20I series scheduled just before the Asia Cup, it is highly unlikely that the mainstays of the ODI squad will feature in this series. Moreover, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been sitting out of all the T20I bilaterals played after the 2022 T20 World Cup, and hence their participation in the Ireland series is almost uncertain.

Also, it would be interesting to see if Hardik Pandya will lead the squad or if BCCI asks someone else to don the captain’s hat for this three-match series as Pandya will be a part of the Asia Cup as well as the ODI World Cup. The premier all-rounder will have to carefully manage his workload considering the fact that Pandya will also be leading India against the Windies.

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