Ireland vs India, T20: 5 player battles to look out for

The Indian team have embarked on the long tour of United Kingdom and they will first take on Ireland in a two-match T20I series after which they will hop across to England for a full-fledged series.

However, before the team thinks about the challenge posed by the English side, they will have to factor in the Irish, a side which is upbeat after their impressive Test debut against Pakistan last month.

In home conditions, Ireland are a defiant unit and India have to strategize accordingly to ward off their threat.

Here in this slider, we identify five different player battles which could well set the template and define the result of the match.

#5 Boyd Rankin vs Rohit Sharma

The big burly Boyd is quite a handful in familiar Irish conditions and he gets the ball to zip around at a brisk pace. Also, he generally prefers to bowl back of a length and is quite difficult to line up which gives him an advantage against the stroke-makers of India.

Rohit Sharma is coming off a mediocre IPL and has not looked in the best of forms, but there is little doubt over his mettle. He generally likes the short pitches stuff and is well in tune to cut or pull balls. This encounter in the powerplay will determine the result of the match.

While Rankin has to be careful about not being predictable, Rohit has to keep in mind that if conditions do suit the bowler, he has to gust it out and then bring out his power game to the fore. This will be a great test for the right-hander ahead of the tough English tour and will go a long way in instilling a sense of belief not only in him but also will calm down the nerves of the dressing room.

#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Paul Stirling

The right arm seam bowler was rested for the one-off Test against Afghanistan and should be relatively fresh after a strenuous IPL. He will lead the Indian bowling attack and like always would be expected to pick up wickets early with the new ball and then come back later with the older ball to choke runs.

However, he will be up against a flamboyant Paul Stirling, who is one of Ireland's marquee players in this format. A batsman who never minds going for the slogs from ball one, Stirling holds the key to Irish chances in the series.

He has to watch out for the seam and swing which Bhuvneshwar gets and India need to prise him out early if they do not want to chase leather for the rest of the match.

#3 Kuldeep Yadav vs Kevin O'Brien

He is one of the rare commodities in cricket at the moment, and Kuldeep Yadav is perhaps India's match-winner with the ball in this format. He has the mystery and the guile to flummox batsmen at all times and should be handy in all conditions.

However, his biggest challenge in the middle overs will be Kevin O'Brien who is fresh from his historical Test century. Kevin likes to plonk his front foot and give the ball a thwack and f Kuldeep errs in his lengths, he could travel.

Kuldeep has the variations and control, KOB has the power, this battle in the middle overs promises to be an interesting watch.

#2 Peter Chase vs Shikhar Dhawan

He is young, fast and erratic, but on his day Peter Chase can be million dollars and has the ability to hassle batting sides with his ability both off the surface and in the air.

One of Ireland's brightest young prospect, Chase would want to nail down his spot in the side and this series against India comes at just the opportune time for him.

However, he will be up against Shikhar Dhawan, a man in form and the task is cut out for him. After his heroics in the IPL, Dhawan slammed a rapid century against Afghanistan and this is where he will be Ireland's biggest threat.

#1 George Dockrell vs Virat Kohli

The Indian captain declared himself fit and raring to go after a slip disk forced him to miss his county stint with Surrey.

This series against Ireland should warm him perfectly for the bigger challenges against England, but he will know that he cannot take the hosts lightly.

He will be up against left-arm spinner George Dockrell and this battle should be interesting, particularly because Dockrell is an experienced T20 bowler and keeps pegging away.

Kohli had problems against spin in the IPL and hence Ireland would want to target him early with slow bowling. How the captain adapts to the challenge might well determine where the match is headed.