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Ireland stunned India by 34 runs at Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday, Jun 26 in the first T20I of the two-match series. The Irish side thus created history, registering their first win over Team India in international cricket.<\/p>\n
Bowling first after winning the toss, the Men in Blue came up with a disappointing show to concede 182-9 in their 20 overs. In the chase, the visitors stumbled in shocking fashion after a strong start and were eventually bowled out for 148 in 18.5 overs, falling way short of the target.<\/p>\n
India<\/a> will need to be at their very best to defeat Ireland in the second T20I in Belfast on Sunday and square the series 1-1. In this feature, we look at three changes, the Men in Blue can make for the must-win clash on Sunday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/template><\/p>\n Many critics and fans were surprised that India did not hand a debut to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the first T20I against Ireland<\/a>. India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had dropped a strong hint in the build-up to the series that Sooryavanshi will have to wait in the wings for now. However, with the series on the line, India can ponder on giving the left-hander a chance on Sunday.<\/p>\n India can rest Sanju Samson for the match and see what Abhishek Sharma and Sooryavanshi<\/a> have to offer as a pair at the top of the order. The move might seem a bit harsh on Samson, who was the Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup. At the same time, Sooryavanshi’s current form with the willow will be too hard to ignore for the team management.<\/p>\n Samson played all the matches for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2026. Before that, he was a constant part of the T20I squad in the build up to the 2026 T20 World Cup. A one-match break for Samson<\/a> would not be bad idea given the current circumstances. It will also allow fans a much-awaited first glimpse of Sooryavanshi in international cricket.<\/p>\n All-rounder Washington Sundar had a forgettable outing against Ireland in Belfast on Friday. The off- spinner bowled just one over in which he gave away as many as 19 runs. George Dockrell and Gareth Delany combined to hammer him for a six and two fours. With the willow, the left-handed batter was dismissed for an ungainly nine off 12 deliveries.<\/p>\n Sundar looked down on form and confidence with both and ball in the first T20I against Ireland. Team India could thus explore the opportunity of handing a debut to Suryansh Shedge. The 23-year-old is a canny middle-order batter, who can score at a swift pace. He is also a handy medium pacer.<\/p>\n After impressing for Mumbai in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he did a reasonable job for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL. In the 2026 season, Shedge<\/a> played some crucial knocks under pressure, even notching up a half-century. The youngster recently played a key role in India A’s tri-series triumph in Dambulla, contributing 147 runs at a strike rate of 120.49.<\/p>\n Team India pacer Prasidh Krishna had a very poor match against Ireland in Belfast on Friday. He bowled four overs and conceded 57 runs without claiming a wicket. He gave away 15 runs in his first over, which included two sixes slammed off Benjamin Calitz’s bat. The over gave Ireland momentum and confidence.<\/p>\n In his last over of the match, Prasidh conceded 27 runs, with Delany hammering a hat-trick of sixes. The Karnataka bowler has had his issues in the T20 format. India could thus try out Prince Yadav<\/a> in place of him in the second T20I against Ireland in Belfast on Sunday.<\/p>\n Prince had an impressive IPL 2026 campaign, claiming 16 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 28.68. He featured in two ODIs against Afghanistan at home recently and did a decent job, claiming three wickets at an economy rate of 6.48. Prince is high on confidence right now and has that extra zip that could trouble Ireland’s batters.<\/p>\n#1 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for Sanju Samson<\/h2>\n
#2 Suryansh Shedge for Washington Sundar<\/h2>\n
#3 Prince Yadav for Prasidh Krishna<\/h2>\n