India's playing XI from their first ever T20I vs Ireland - where are they now?

After a disappointing end to their series against the West Indies, India are set to tour Ireland for a three-match T20I series. The opening T20I is scheduled to be played at the Village in Dublin on Friday, August 18.

India and Ireland have played five T20Is against each other so far, with India winning all of them. The first T20I between the two nations took place in June 2009, when the Men in Blue won the game in a one-sided manner with eight wickets in hand.

Ireland won the toss and elected to bat first. India's premier pacer, Zaheer Khan, ran through the Irish top-order as he picked up a four-wicket haul. Pragyan Ojha also picked up two wickets as India restricted Ireland to 122/8 in a rain-curtailed match, which became an 18-over-per-side affair.

In reply, India eased past the total as Rohit Sharma remained unbeaten at 52. Gautam Gambhir also scored 37 runs off 31 balls as India completed the target in 15.2 overs.

It is pertinent to note that the clash between India and Ireland was at the 2009 T20 World Cup in England. India had a forgettable campaign at the event, failing to qualify for the semi-finals despite entering the tournament as the defending champions.

14 years have passed since India played their first T20I against Ireland. As India gears up to lock horns in a three-match T20I series, we take a look at India's playing XI from their first-ever T20I against Ireland, and where are they now.

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Top-order: Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni (c & wk) and Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh was India's top run-getter at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2009.

Team India had a mix of youth and experience in their batting line-up at the T20 World Cup in 2009. As Virender Sehwag was injured during the event, India gave youngster Rohit Sharma a chance to open the innings alongside Gautam Gambhir.

The two piled up a 77-run opening partnership against Ireland, with Rohit scoring 52 and Gambhir scoring 37. MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, batted at No. 3 during the match against Ireland. Dhoni could only score 14 runs off 13 balls in the game.

At No. 4, came Yuvraj Singh, who also remained unbeaten on 3, to see India cross the line. The left-hander had a decent tournament, as he ended up as India's highest run-getter at the event with 153 runs across five innings.

All batters, barring Rohit Sharma, have now retired from international cricket. While Rohit is the skipper of the Indian team, Dhoni still plays for and captains the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL.

While Yuvraj is the mentor of the New York Strikers in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, Gambhir has become a politician and has also joined the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as a mentor.

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All-rounders: Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, and Irfan Pathan

Suresh Raina celebrating a run-out with his teammates [Getty Images]

India also had several multi-faceted players in their XI. Apart from Yuvraj Singh, all three of Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, and Irfan Pathan were handy all-rounders.

While neither of the three got a chance to bat in the game against Ireland, Irfan Pathan bowled three overs. He gave away 22 runs in his spell without scalping a wicket.

All three—Raina, Yusuf, and Irfan—have now retired from international cricket. While all three have tried their hand at broadcasting and commentary, they too feature in different T20 leagues around the globe.

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Bowlers: Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha

Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan - The two Indian legends [Getty Images]

India's bowling unit consisted of Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, and Pragyan Ojha. They all did a fantastic job of restricting Ireland to only 112/8 in the first inning.

Zaheer, who was remarkable in his match-winning spell of 4/19, was also adjudged the Player of the Match. While Ishant was wily in giving away only 18 runs in his three overs, Harbhajan (1/25) and Ojha (2/18) did well to take three wickets between them.

Harbhajan plays in Legends League Cricket (LLC) now and also works as a commentator. All three of Zaheer, Ishant, and Ojha were part of the commentating team in the recently concluded India vs. West Indies series as well.

Ishant is also a senior pace bowler of the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise in the IPL.