FANTASY PREVIEW
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India - W,W,W,W, L
Ireland - W,W,W,L,L
Head to Head
Overall: Matches 7| India 7| Ireland 0
In T20 World Cup: Match 1| India 1| Ireland 0
Venue Details
The New York pitch has been under the scanner ever since Sri Lanka got bundled up for just 77 runs in the first ever T20I played on the ground, which would be packed up like a circus after the World Cup is over. The South African didn’t fare any better, as they took 16.2 overs to chase down that total.
While Anrich Nortje picked up four wickets with his pace bowling, Keshav Maharaj and Wanindu Hasaranga were among the wickets as well, indicating that it’s a track and venue where batters would be the ones under pressure and not bowlers.
Weather conditions
It’s pristine conditions for cricket in New York, as the temperature is predicted to remain in the low 20s with ample sunlight and cloud cover.
Players to Watch out for
Rohit Sharma
The Indian skipper is coming off a mixed IPL season where he couldn’t step up for Mumbai Indians in the latter half of the tournament. However, this is also the year he has had the best strike rate of his career (154). Rohit is also striking well in the powerplay with a strike rate of 142.
The leader of the Indian team will also look to improve his record in T20 World Cups, where in 36 outings, he has scored 900 plus runs at a strike rate of just 128. In fact his performance has dipped even more after 2016.
Virat Kohli
Yet again on a tough pitch, Kohli would be India’s biggest wicket. He has been marvellous in T20 World Cups with 1141 runs (the highest in history). Moreover, Kohli has a strike rate of 155 in T20s this year, which is the highest in a year in T20s, proving that the maestro is adapting to the evolving game.
Even more pleasantly, Kohli has upped his approach against spinners in the format, as he has scored 310 runs at a strike rate of 141 and an average of 62 against the tweakers in 2024.
Paul Stirling
Irish skipper Stirling is one of the most powerful batters in his team. Since 2021, he has scored 408 runs at the top of the order for Ireland at a strike rate of 140.7.
He will have to face the new ball in New York, which won’t be easy. It would be great news for Ireland if he managed to survive the opening burst from the Indian pacers with the new ball. On a tough pitch, those runs in the powerplay will be worth their weight in gold.
Key Battles
Josh Little vs Rohit Sharma
Little is one of Ireland’s best-ever fast bowlers in the format, and the left-arm pacer is known to swing the ball both ways. He has 78 wickets for Ireland in T20Is at an economy of 7.5 and strike rate of 18.7.
With the New York pitch aiding new ball movement prodigiously, expect him to trouble the Indian skipper from around the wicket, as he would be a handful to deal with from that angle. Little will also have Virat Kohli in the top order to trouble with the same line of attack.
Cricket.com’s suggested Fantasy XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Lorcan Tucker, Virat Kohli, Andy Balbirnie, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Curtis Campher, Jasprit Bumrah, Barry McCarthy
Probable Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah , Arshdeep Singh.
Ireland: Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (c), Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young, Josh Little
Streaming and Telecast details
The match will begin at 8 pm India time on June 5. It will be telecasted on Star Sports and streamed on Disney + Hotstar in India.
