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Ireland take on India in the third T20I of their three-match series on Wednesday, August 22, at The Village in Dublin. With India wrapping up the series 2-0 after winning the second T20I by 33 runs, there's a good chance both teams will experiment with their sides and give some opportunities to players who've had to warm the bench so far.
There are plenty of positives to take for Ireland from this series, with the biggest one being the resurgence of their middle and lower middle-order. Time and time again, they've been put under pressure and each time one of their many bowling all-rounders has stepped up and delivered. On this occasion, it was Barry McCarthy.
Andy Balbirnie's excellent half-century in the second T20I, after a sub-par World Cup Qualifier campaign as a captain, also bodes well for the side.
On that note, let's look at the three changes Ireland should consider for the third T20I.
#3 Ross Adair should enter the playing XI
Barring Andrew Balbirnie's 72 in the second T20I, the Ireland top order has simply not clicked in these two matches. Prasidh Krishna and Jasprit Bumrah's fiery early spells have accounted for their wickets and their middle and lower middle-order have been left to do the bulk of the work.
With this game being a dead rubber, they should look to hand Ross Adair an opportunity in the top order and allow him to freely express himself and attack the Indian bowlers. While he doesn't have a great career average, Adair is an attacking batter and has a T20 strike rate of more than 150.
He has made only seven appearances for Ireland so far, all in the T20I format, and should be given an opportunity to make an eighth.
#2 Craig Young and Barry McCarthy should take the new ball
Craig Young and Barry McCarthy are the two Irish bowlers who have troubled the Indian batters the most. However, it has been Joshua Little and Mark Adair who have opened the bowling for them in these first two matches.
Craig Young, especially, has come in a bit too late in both matches and considering he was the bowler who almost pulled off an Ireland win in the first T20I with his twin strikes in the seventh over, he should be given the ball when it's still doing something off the surface.
With not much to lose in the third T20I, Ireland should experiment with this option.
#1 Hand Theo van Woerkom his debut
Theo van Woerkom, a 30-year-old uncapped left-arm spinner, is also part of the Ireland T20I squad, and should be given the opportunity to make his international debut in the third T20I at Dublin. There's no better time for a player to make a debut than in games like this where they can freely express themselves, and Ireland should use this opportunity and give this spinner a run.
India had problems against left-arm spin in the West Indies and some members of that contingent are part of this team too. With George Dockrell not bowling regularly, Ireland have been without a quality left-arm spinner for a while now. This could give them an opportunity to identify an option for the future.
