Team India opted for Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper over Sanju Samson for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland on Wednesday. Captain Rohit Sharma will open the innings alongside star batter Virat Kohli, the match lineup showed.
Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube are the other batters playing India's opening Group A game alongside all-rounders Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. In the bowling department, star seamer Jasprit Bumrah will be supported by Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj.
Sanju Samson had failed to fire Bangladesh in the warmup game against Bangladesh while left-handed Pant came out all guns blazing.
India and Ireland have met seven times so far and the Men In Blue maintain and 100% succes record over the Irish, who are often referred as the "official giantkillers" in ICC World Cups.
India vs Ireland: T20 World Cup game toss update
After winning the toss at New York's Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, Rohit Sharma opted to bowl first against the European side.
"We have prepared alright. Have been managing ourselves in these new conditions. Has been challenging but we are all professionals and experienced players. Playing on a similar pitch and don't know what to expect a little bit. I know it's going to be slightly different from what we're used to. But that's what the sport is. Unsure about the conditions so having a target in front of us would be good. Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Chahal miss out," Rohit Sharma said during the toss.
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohd Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
Ireland Playing XI: A. Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (c), L. Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, C. Campher, George Dockrell, G. Delany, Mark Adair, B. McCarthy, B. White, Josh Little.